Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Birth Control Use Alters Memory For A Stressful Experience, Julia N. Gross, Kristie Payment, Boyd R. Rorabaugh, Phillip R. Zoladz

Aurora

Hormonal birth control methods are widely used; however, some users suffer considerable side effects. Previous research suggests oral contraceptive users exhibit a blunted cortisol response to psychosocial stressors and alterations in emotional memory, including differential recall of emotional images and details of emotional stories. However, no studies have examined how birth control influences memory for a stressful experience.

The present study analyzes data previously collected from female undergraduate students. In this study, participants reported contraceptive use, then underwent a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or the friendly-TSST (f-TSST). The TSST required participants to deliver a ten-minute, …

Variations In Moral Decision Making: In Morally Ambiguous Scenarios, Riley N. Eaton, Victoria Kempton, Edward Lansing, Troy R. Welker

Aurora

People are tasked with making decisions that often come with consequences, whether it be for someone else or themselves. Due to this, there is an ambiguity in understanding what is “right” and “wrong” in a given scenario. However, limited research has examined how interpersonal relationships and intensity of the punishment may affect this decision-making process. This study examines the effect of interpersonal closeness and punishment intensity on moral decision-making, defined in terms of fairness and empathy. Participants (N = 54) from a midwestern university were randomly assigned to one of three interpersonal closeness conditions (close friend vs. close friend, close …

Associations Between Mmpi-3 And Cape Scores: Measuring Psychosis Symptoms In A Non-Clinical Population, Tigis A. Applin, Ashlynne N. Wright, Andrew Kremyar, Megan R. Whitman, Yossef S. Ben-Porath Ph.D.

Aurora

Psychosis includes two major types of symptoms: positive (i.e., hallucinations, delusions, paranoia) and negative (i.e., flat affect, poverty of speech, lack of motivation). Psychosis is also frequently comorbid with depressive and other mood disorder symptoms. Differentiating positive, negative, and depression symptoms is important, as practicing clinicians may tailor treatments to specific presenting symptoms. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) is a broadband measure of personality and psychopathology that includes scales that measure both psychosis and depression related symptoms. Prior studies indicate that scale scores on previous versions of the MMPI-3 can help with the differential diagnosis of depressive and psychosis-related …

The Academic Workplace Climate Measure: A New Instrument To Measure Counselor Education Faculty Climate, Ryan Holliman, Ryan D. Foster, Pedro Blanco

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Research indicates that between 32% and 62% of faculty in higher education have experienced some form of incivility (Cassell, 2011; Fox, 2010; Heffernan & Bosetti, 2020; Hollis, 2012; Keashly & Neuman, 2008; McKay et al., 2008). Incivility among faculty can be associated with declining health, decreased faculty retention, diminished self-esteem, and lowered psychological well-being (McClendon et al., 2021; Miner et al., 2012; Raskauskas & Skrabec, 2011). Although counselor educators are presumably experts in effective communication and conflict negotiation, anecdotal reports of conflict in counselor education departments are frequent. This study developed an instrument called the Academic Workplace Climate Measure. In …

Marginalization Experiences Of Chinese International Counseling Students In Social And Cultural Diversity Courses, Hsin-Ya Tang, Caiwei Tang, Hexin Bi, Qingyue Zhang

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Outcome Research In Aca Counseling Journals: A Content Analysis, Lisa Rickman, Marangelie Velez, Serene Hasan, Elizabeth Lugo, Sejal Barden

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

To assess the current state of evidence-based practices within counseling and counselor education, researchers conducted a comprehensive content analysis of outcome research published in counseling journals. Using quantitative methods to examine publication trends and frequency, the study reviewed 5,266 articles across 21 journals over a ten-year span (2013–2023), identifying 405 outcome studies for inclusion. Findings revealed a substantial gap in outcome research within professional counseling, particularly with respect to methodological diversity and representation of diverse populations. The authors emphasize the need for counselor educators and practitioners to prioritize outcome research to enhance clinical effectiveness and strengthen the profession. Furthermore, the …

Negotiating Professional Identity Development Across Contexts: A Collaborative Autoethnography, Clark D. Ausloos, Rebecca J. Vannest, Hayley Ostlund

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This collaborative autoethnography (CAE) explores how two counselor educators and one doctoral student navigate professional identity formation across three intersecting contexts: school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and counselor education. Through critical reflection and collaborative analysis of focus-group data and individual reflections, we identify four themes: Career Flexibility & Adaptability, Identity Formation in Supportive and Restrictive Systems, Role Strain & Stigma, and Values-Driven Practices. Implications call for counselor education programs and higher education systems to embrace multiplicity, non-linear careers, redefine mentorship structures for doctoral students and faculty, and revise promotion criteria to value relationality, and creative, student- and community-engaged …

Understanding Counselor Burnout From An Ecological Systems Perspective, Stephanie Thorson-Olesen, Lisa Belknap, Emily Velidow, Jessica Gaul, Phoenix Rosewood, Nayara Aparecida Da Costa Silva Beall

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory as a guiding framework, this study explored the experiences of licensed counselors who self-identified as having recovered from burnout. Burnout was conceptualized as a prolonged response to chronic occupational stress, while participants were invited to describe their experiences based on their own lived understandings of the phenomenon. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted using data collected through an anonymous online survey featuring open-ended prompts. Participants included 32 licensed counselors who graduated from CACREP-accredited programs and reported previously experiencing burnout and no longer identifying as currently burned out. Thematic analysis yielded nine interrelated themes encompassing contributors, …

Predicting Counseling Student Well-Being: The Role Of Faculty And Stress, Kendall G. Woods, Elizabeth K. N. Harper, Michell L. Temple

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Approximately one-third of Americans live in areas with limited access to mental health services, with only one mental health provider for every 350 people (Health Resources and Services Administration [HRSA], 2024; Reinert & Nguyen, 2022). The shortage of mental health providers persists as the need for services grows, a challenge compounded by the 40-60% attrition rate among counseling trainees (Chrzanowski, 2018). Improving counseling program completion is essential to address the mental health workforce shortage. While previous research has emphasized the importance of faculty support for graduate students (Estrada et al, 2019), little research has examined how faculty-student interactions and academic …

Counseling Supervision In Vocational Rehabilitation: An Integration And Extension Of The Discrimination Model And Critical Disability Theory, Nichole Tichy, Harvey C. Peters

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

As a specialized counseling discipline, vocational rehabilitation aims to support individuals with disabilities in obtaining integrated and competitive employment within their communities. Within the rehabilitation counseling profession, the practice of clinical supervision is considered an essential function of the job; however, most professionals report inadequate or nonexistent supervision within their professional settings. Research on this topic is scarce, and few clinical supervision models exist specific to the needs of rehabilitation counselors. In this manuscript, we present an adaptation of the discrimination model for counselors that incorporates vocational rehabilitation and critical disability theory to encourage the challenging and dismantling of ableism. …

Experiences Of Perceived Sexism Among Female Doctoral Counselor Education Students, Laura Smestad, Keiko Sano

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of sexism among female counselor education and supervision doctoral students. Fourteen participants completed a semi-structured interview. The following themes were identified: in-class experiences of sexism, intersection of gender and other identities, power differentials, exclusion, female networks, silence, lack of university support, and self-minimization.

Navigating The Borderlands: Testimonios Of First-Generation Chicanas In Counselor Education, Jessenia Garcia, Heather Trepal

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This research applies Anzaldúa’s (1987) Borderlands Theory to examine the testimonios of first-generation Chicana faculty in counselor education. A narrative methodology was employed (n=10), leading to the identification of several themes that illuminate their unique challenges and resilience. Four themes emerged: (a) balancing worlds: family and academia, (b) weaving identity into academia, (c) cultural identity in the borderlands, and (d) disrupting borders, including the subtheme: Red tape and higher ed mafia. These findings provide insight into the institutional barriers and identity navigation experienced by these faculty members. Recommendations for recruitment and retention are included.

Navigating The Intersection Of Artificial Intelligence And Counseling: Implications For Counselor Identity, Ethics, And Counselor Education, Anabel Mifsud, Barbara Herlihy

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This article examines the ethical, professional identity, and counselor education implications of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into counseling practice. As AI use expands in mental health care, it offers opportunities to enhance accessibility and efficiency while raising complex ethical concerns regarding competence, accountability, transparency, confidentiality, equity, and preservation of the therapeutic relationship. The authors explore how AI may reshape counselor roles and professional identity, underscoring the need to safeguard core values and the relational foundation of counseling. Recommendations are offered for adapting counselor education to prepare future practitioners for AI-augmented practice. The authors call for sustained, critical dialogue to ensure …

Practitioners’ Experiences Of Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based (Dir) Approach In Their Professional Practice With Neurodivergent Clients: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Ekaterina Sidor

Educational Studies Dissertations

This phenomenological study explores how professionals experience integrating the developmental, individual-differences, and relationship-based (DIR) framework in their work with neurodivergent clients. Although DIR is recognized as an evidence-based developmental approach in the field of autism support, little is known about how its integration affects practitioners themselves. Grounded in relational-cultural theory and transformative learning theory, the study examines how engagement with DIR influences practitioners’ professional practice and development. Using a qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological design, data were collected through open-ended questionnaires and in-depth interviews with multidisciplinary professionals from diverse international contexts who completed DIRFloortime training and actively implement DIR in their work. …

The Efficacy Of Emotional Reframing As An Intervention To Promote Adult Transformational Growth, Linda Rossetti

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study investigates the underexplored relationship between adult developmental growth and emotions. Developmental growth requires an individual to respond to self-concept instability by adopting new meaning structures and navigating oppositional emotions. This quantitative study examined the relationship between an emotional reframing intervention and perspective shifts, an indicator of developmental progression. Data collected on three college campuses in the 2024-2025 academic year revealed a strong positive relationship between the intervention and perspective shifts, as evidenced by differences in pre- and post-assessment responses within the studied population, both in aggregate and in specific use cases. The findings contribute to three academic arenas: …

Influence Of The Discipline Of Authentic Movement Practice On Interpersonal Relationships, Joy Ruben Welts

Educational Studies Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored how practicing the Discipline of Authentic Movement impacts relationships. This research was conducted to fill in the gaps around attunement and use of the Discipline of Authentic Movement as an intervention to support healthy relationships. Five self-selected adults met on Saturday afternoons for eight weeks to practice the Discipline of Authentic Movement. They completed a pre and post Revised Adult Attachment Scale and reflected weekly on their experience through journaling. Participants reported that it was the structure of the Discipline of Authentic Movement that allowed them to feel more comfortable being themselves with others. The …

Built For This: An Autoethonographic Study Of A Journey Through Leadership Rooted In Reflection, Resilience, And Reinvention, Weslie Etienne

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative autoethnographic study examined how leadership was experienced, enacted, and sustained by a Black woman navigating district-level leadership within predominantly White institutional contexts. Grounded in Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Black Feminist Thought, this research centered lived experience as a site of knowledge production and employed longitudinal journaling and artifact analysis to capture leadership development as a temporal, relational, and embodied process. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) How did race, gender, and institutional structures shape leadership development and experience? (2) How were leadership identities constructed, negotiated, and sustained through self-authored narratives? and (3) How could …

What Impact Might The Coatt Model Have On Those Recovering From Spiritual Disconnect? A Community Engagement Project, Fiona A. Doyle

Expressive Therapies Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether or not the CoActive Therapeutic Theater (CoATT Model) may be applicable to individuals that identify as in active recovery from spiritual disconnect. The importance of spirituality as a factor in mental health counseling has been identified repeatedly, and while there is currently some literature exploring the intersection of the use of drama therapy to treat spiritual concerns, there is a need for a larger body of research to be generated in service of understanding how drama therapy may be of service to those who are recovering from a spiritual disconnect.  As …

Conceptualizing Professional Identity Development In Art Therapy Supervision With Post-Graduate Art Therapists Who Are Pre-Licensed, Christine S. Atkinson

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study explored how art therapy supervisors conceptualize professional identity development (PID) in supervision with postgraduate art therapists who were pre-licensed. There was limited empirical research on how art therapy supervisors understood and support PID within art therapy supervision, particularly during the transitional period between graduate training and professional licensure. This study addressed the research question: How do art therapy supervisors conceptualize PID in supervision with postgraduate art therapists who are pre-licensed?

Fourteen art therapy supervisors participated in the study (86% female; 14% non-binary), ranging in age from 25 to over 65 years old. All participants identified their race or …

Photovoice As A Resilience Tool For Helping Professionals In Complex Trauma Work, Pamela Lie

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Helping professionals (HPs) working with complex trauma operate in emotionally demanding environments that place them at increased risk of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue. Resilience has therefore been identified as an important resource for sustaining well-being and effective practice. While photovoice has shown potential as a participatory approach for fostering resilience across diverse populations, its application among HPs engaged in complex trauma work, particularly within Asian contexts, remains limited. This study examined how seven HPs engaged in complex trauma work from a single organization in Singapore experienced and perceived photovoice as a resilience-building tool. The study employed a …

Project Wildest Dreams, Faith Bernier

Honors College Theses

“Project Wildest Dreams” is a hybrid psychological correlational study and short fiction collection based on anecdotes of vivid, frightening, or bizarre dreams. This collaboration of art and science explores the nature of dreaming, a phenomenon that has intrigued and perplexed both the humanities and the STEM fields for many years. The goal of this thesis was twofold: primarily, it was intended to utilize the outlandish, surreal, and unique feelings and images that dreams elicit in order to procure an anthology of surrealist and absurdist short stories across primarily the genres of horror, comedy, and fantasy. In addition to this, the …

What Is The Skeleton Of Cognition? A Structural Account Of World Reconstruction Through Processing Axes, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

This paper describes how the placement of a single processing axis reorganizes human cognition and generates a reconstructed world.

Most existing psychological and social theories begin from emotion, desire, morality, or social behavior. In doing so, they have discussed what forms on top of the cognitive skeleton without first fixing the skeleton itself. When the skeleton is not fixed, entirely different explanations of the same phenomenon can coexist, and it becomes difficult to identify which constitutes a foundational account.

This paper fixes the skeleton first. That skeleton is the processing axis.

The question is: when a single processing axis organizes …

Assessing Legacy Collections: Analyzing The Preservation, Recovery, And Interpretive Value Of Archaeobotanical Remains From Site 15le70 (Pine Crest Rockshelter), Lee County, Kentucky, Jennifer Carroll

Graduate Final Projects

This paper uses the archaeobotanical assemblage from Site 15Le70, a multi-excavated and extensively looted rockshelter in eastern Kentucky, while opening new lines of inquiry into gendered labor and practice during the Archaic-Woodland transition. Because legacy collections are often dispersed across institutions and/or research projects, the materials from any single site may be fragmented, as was the case for 15Le70. Such collections can be overlooked, yet this investigation into 15Le70’s archaeobotanical assemblage demonstrates that partial or scattered datasets can yield meaningful results and hold the potential to fill gaps in the archaeological record left by looting.

In this study, a small …

Rethinking Social Disorganization In Rural America: Persistent Poverty, Institutional Fragility, And Crime, Addison Finch

Theses and Dissertations

Social Disorganization Theory (SDT) links structural disadvantage to crime through mechanisms such as residential instability, weakened social networks, and reduced informal social control in urban neighborhoods. Less is known about whether these mechanisms operate similarly in persistently poor rural communities where disadvantage is enduring rather than destabilizing. This study examines whether variation in poverty intensity predicts county-level crime in nonmetropolitan, persistently poor counties in Kentucky and Tennessee from 2016 to 2023. A balanced county-year panel (N = 344) integrates incident-based crime data with measures of poverty intensity and institutional capacity. Pooled ordinary least squares models with year fixed effects and …

A Research-Informed Wellness Guide For Creating A Culture Of Educator Wellness And Retention In Schools, Anthony L. Herbert

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition in high-poverty K–12 schools continues to undermine instructional continuity, organizational stability, and educational equity. While compensation and accountability pressures contribute to turnover, emerging research identifies workload intensity, emotional exhaustion, and the absence of systemic wellness supports as central drivers of burnout and departure decisions. The purpose of this capstone project is to develop a research-informed wellness guide designed to assist site-based leaders in embedding educator wellness within school systems as a strategic approach to improving teacher retention. This study addresses the question: What leadership strategies and school-level practices does the research recommend for creating supportive, wellness-centered environments in …

Attentional Prioritization And Refreshing As Pathways To Long-Term Memory Formation, Pouria Rahgosha

Theses and Dissertations

Attention regulates which information in working memory becomes stabilized in long-term memory. Two candidate mechanisms are attentional prioritization and attentional refreshing. Although both reliably benefit working memory, their contribution to long-term memory remains unclear. Two experiments examined this issue using an associative memory paradigm in which participants encoded image-keypress pairs, maintained them under varying conditions, and completed both working memory and unexpected cued-recall tests. Experiment 1 manipulated refreshing indirectly by varying attentional load during maintenance, whereas Experiment 2 contrasted implicit and explicitly cued refreshing. Across both experiments, prioritization consistently improved working memory performance. However, prioritization benefited long-term memory only when …

Bridging The Gap: Implementing A Modified Pacing Guide For Students 2-3 Grade Levels Behind In An Accelerated Program, Crystal T. Tyson

Theses and Dissertations

Accelerated secondary programs serving students performing two to three grade levels below proficiency often operate within compressed instructional timelines aligned to state accountability requirements. However, limited research examines how state-level policy structures influence district pacing practices within these settings. The purpose of this capstone study is to examine how accountability frameworks shape district pacing implementation and how pacing compression affects instructional flexibility for accelerated learners. Guided by a policy-to-practice conceptual framework linking state accountability systems, district pacing structures, and instructional impact, the study addresses three research questions focused on (a) policy influence on pacing design, (b) structural implications of pacing …

A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Research On Principal Internship And Residency Design, Stephen Vanderford

Theses and Dissertations

Principal preparation programs continue to demonstrate variation in internship structure, mentoring quality, and alignment between field-based experiences and the complex demands of school leadership. Although national research emphasizes immersive, year-long clinical practice, internship expectations remain inconsistent across preparation programs. This capstone project synthesizes research identifying essential components of educational leadership internship and residency experiences. The purpose of this study is to examine exemplary content, instructional strategies, and mentoring practices associated with high-quality internship and residency models. Guided by the Talent Development Framework and informed by the PSEL, the study examines how internship structure, experiential learning, and mentoring processes align with …

Closing The Implementation Gap: A Research-Based Playbook For High-Quality Teacher Mentoring Programs, Angela White

Theses and Dissertations

This capstone project addresses the ongoing problem of inconsistent, unstructured, and unsustainable mentoring practices in K–12 schools, which contribute to new teacher burnout, uneven instructional support, and high turnover rates. The purpose of the project is to design a research-based mentoring implementation system that strengthens novice teacher support while building mentor capacity. The study is guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and informed by ERIC implementation strategies, which together provide a structured lens for understanding barriers, facilitators, and effective actions related to mentoring implementation. The research questions explore how intervention characteristics, school-level contextual factors, and implementation processes …

Welcome Tilly Norwood: Forecasting Hollywood’S Ai Policy Futures, Samuel P. Rooker

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

In late 2025, weekly trade publication Variety Magazine reported on the announcement of a new acting talent in Hollywood: Tilly Norwood. Norwood is an industry outsider and the pet project of Eline Van der Velden, who unveiled the actress’ existence to the world at the Zurich Film Festival. The announcement quickly gained media coverage while Van der Velden has since faced cyclical backlash from Hollywood trade unions, which does not seem entirely without reason. Tilly Norwood is a digital persona, a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) program, designed by Van der Velden’s novel AI talent studio, Xicoia, to become the next …