Counseling Commons^™

Moving At The Speed Of Trust, Sun Ho Lee

Masters Theses

Moving at the Speed of Trust is a workbook of strategies — practices, definitions, and techniques — to nurture community-building in support of inbetweeners who live between power structures and cultures and are often left out. Inbetweeners are those individuals whose lives are in transition through recent immigration or forced translocation from Asia to America.

These strategies revolve around threads of trust: kin, giggles, vulnerability, and shared experience. With these threads, we can question power. We can preserve stories, expand the ways we connect, shift perspectives on what is “standard,” and cultivate a community rooted in understanding. To understand each …

Exploring The Role Of Religious Coping In Natural Disaster Survivors In The Bahamas, Cherry Ann Raquel Ferguson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Life is filled with a myriad of stressors individuals must navigate to maintain physical and emotional wellness. Some life stressors can be more devastating than others, such as natural disasters. Specific regions, including the Bahamas, have experienced destructive natural disasters such as hurricanes and record-breaking superstorms in the last few decades. Consequently, citizens are exposed to significant amounts of distress due to the devastation caused by these natural disasters. How one copes and one’s level of resilience plays an integral role in managing such turbulent times. Religion can be a valuable resource for those facing traumatic circumstances. The focus of …

The Benefits Of Art Therapy On Stress And Anxiety Of Oncology Patients During Treatment, Helen Shiepe

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Within the last ten years research on art therapy and its positive impact on oncology patients’ stress and anxiety during treatment has been minimal. Oncology patients whether they are children or adults when diagnosed experience similar reactions due to their diagnosis, treatment, and in some cases end of life care. The current question is whether or not art therapy does have a positive impact on decreasing the stress and anxiety with oncology patients while undergoing treatment. Deane, Fitch & Carmen (2000), discussed art therapy as a healing art that is “intended to integrate physical, emotional, and spiritual care by facilitating …

Exploring Core Concepts And Uses Of Makeup In Expressive Arts Therapy And Mental Health: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Rhys Triolo-Rodriguez

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

According to Merriam Webster (2022) the definitions for Makeup are as follows; “Cosmetics (such as lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow) used to color and beautify the face”, “A cosmetic applied to other parts of the body”, and “Materials (such as wigs and cosmetics) used in making up or in special costuming (as for a play).” Many of the articles reviewed also discuss the importance of skin care and the rituals that one goes through when applying or removing facial products. For this research, a combination of all definitions above will be most beneficial. However one may define makeup, within the …

Sandtray Therapy Through The Lens Of The Expressive Therapies Continuum: Helping Children Who Experienced Trauma Tap Into Their Creative Potential, Mollie Lesnever

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This study explores the use of Sandtray therapy with children in middle childhood who have experienced trauma. Sandtray therapy allows children to create a world of their own with sand and symbolic figures. It supports children’s need for autonomy and provides a way to engage in healing through playful and non-verbal means. Based on the intermodal nature of Sandtray therapy, it was presumed that the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) could be used alongside the intervention as an assessment tool to better understand how development impacts artmaking. Based on the developmental needs of this population, a method including play and art-making …

Dance/Movement Therapy Used As An Intervention To Heal Racial Trauma Within The Black Community: A Literature Review, Jennifer Noboise

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The history of dance within the black community has served an important role while living through a racist and discriminatory society. Dance has been used to express anger, grief, and joy during hardships and moments of rejoicing from the black experience. African American people have endured years of trauma and abuse from oppressive systems. Research has been conducted to demonstrate that dance/movement therapy has been effective in treating those who have experienced a form of trauma since the trauma is stored in the body. Examining trauma symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and substance use, the research found these symptoms diminished …

How Art Therapy Can Be Used To Teach Queer Inclusive Sex Education To Queer Youth: A Literature Review, Olivia Souza

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review examines the potential of art-making as a tool to educate and inform queer youth about queer sexual experiences. Many queer individuals lack information about safe and healthy sex due to the exclusion of queer experiences in sex education programs. Current sex programs solely focus on abstinence and heterosexual experiences, leaving queer youth in the dark about what to expect from future sexual experiences they may have and how to practice safe queer sex. Through a search of the literature, it was discovered that there is a gap in research using art therapy in this specific context. Through …

Redefining Anger For Sexual And Gender Minorities Using Art As A Visual Voice, Kirsten Ranheim

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Art therapy is an increasingly popular approach for addressing trauma and anger in clinical settings. This literature review explores the connections between art therapy, trauma, gender, and anger, drawing on a range of studies and theoretical perspectives. Background is provided on the history of anger within the context of societal institutions, interpersonal power dynamics, psychiatric nosology, and social justice movements. The review concludes that art therapy is ideally suited as a trauma-informed approach to addressing anger in the therapeutic setting. This is due to the unique opportunities that art making provides for helping individuals express and process their emotions nonverbally, …

Hailey's Hearing Aids, Hailey Marie Garcia

Whittier Scholars Program

Individuals from the deaf and hard-of-hearing community are likely to experience more anxiety and depression due to defective cognitive, social, communicational, and emotional skills (Azizi et al., 2019). The word “disability” is embedded with historical negative connotations with phrases such as “deaf and dumb” because if they were deaf or mute then they were automatically labeled as inferior (Horovitz, 2007). Since the 18th century, the DHH community has been seen as incapable, even inhuman, hence the development of emotional deficiencies that bleed into one’s perception of society and their self esteem (Gallaudet, 1886).

How do you navigate a hearing world …

Whatever It Takes: A Literature Review Exploring The Psychological Cost Of Actor Training And How Drama Therapy Can Help, Kelsey Burke

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This review examines the literature as it relates to the psychological and emotional impact of professional training programs for student-actors. Special attention is paid to student-actors’ developmental stage, mental health and trauma history, possible exposure to sexual harassment in rehearsal or classroom settings, specific acting techniques taught, and power dynamics between student-actors and acting teachers. Also examined is data on the potential effects that the application of trauma-informed drama therapy approaches could have on this population. This is followed by a proposed outline for a supervision-style class for student-actors led by a drama therapist intended to introduce drama therapeutic principles …

Perceptions Of Sub-Saharan African International Students In United States: Mental Health Concerns And Help-Seeking Behavior, Adekemi L. Ekanoye

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

International students face a lot of challenges while studying abroad, with or without the supportive system that their families provide. Sub-Saharan Africa international students consists of 3.7 percent of the population, which indicates a 2.1 percent increase prior to previous year. While in the host country, this population is saddled with the self-responsibilities of maintaining their values, cultural identities, personality, language ability, self-perceptions, and attitudes. African international students adopt a masking behavior in the form of adaptive strategies that could hide the mental health concerns experienced.

The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory study was to explore the untold lived …

Developing A Program Of Well-Being For Coptic Orthodox Clergy In The Diocese Of Melbourne, Australia, Abanoub Attalla

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to develop a holistic recommendation of policies, procedures, and practices that can contribute toward achieving better well-being for clergy that will equip and support them for healthy and sustainable ministerial practices. Without a plan for suitable intervention, the current situation could be quite harmful to both clergy and their congregations. Therefore, it is critical to develop processes and protocols that will facilitate the support and practices of the clergy of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Australia so they can lead a balanced and spiritually fulfilling life. Within the context of this project, I will use the word …

The Need For Racial And Ethnic Health Disparity Curriculum In Genetic Counseling Programs, Yusra Aziz

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Racial and ethnic health disparities (REHD) exist across all organized medicine, including the spectrum of genetic counseling, particularly in genomic testing and access to care. While cultural competency and health disparities have been included as a part of the Standards of Accreditation for Genetic Counseling, there have not been previous efforts to define what topics related to REHD are most important to include in graduate program curriculum. Therefore, this study aimed to determine what topics related to REHD should be taught in genetic counseling program curriculum by assessing what topics genetic counselors (GCs) learned about and in what settings, …

Help For The Emotional Religious Doubter: Divine Revelation As An Epistemic Axiom And Its Significance Upon The Implementation Of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Rebt), Ronald Henry Davis Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study addresses the concept of religious doubt concerning those who embrace the Christian tradition, i.e., those who embrace the words and works of Christ, specifically the reality of the Resurrection, as true and efficacious for both salvation and spiritual formation. The existential crisis of doubting these truths is a consistent and significant issue addressed in both religious and secular circles driven by the desire to help the individual overcome the emotional distress associated with this phenomenon. This study is designating doubt that creates an existential crisis as emotional religious doubt (ERD), i.e., it is a species/variety of doubt that …

Efficacy Of A Christian Intervention To Promote Posttraumatic Growth In Women Recovering From Intimate Partner Violence, Jerra L. Dooley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative pretest-posttest design evaluated a biblically based personal development program (PDP) for promoting PTG in Christian women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). A convenience sample (N = 7) of volunteers included women within a large county in the Southeastern United States. Participants were recruited through numerous large and small Southern Baptist churches. Qualifications included being female, at least 19 years old, and having experienced IPV but not within the last 12 months, to reduce the possibility of reinjury by rumination. Participants completed pretest assessments, attended the 3-hour personal development program, and completed a posttest assessment. Data was …

Art Therapy And Internal Family Systems For Adolescents At A Therapeutic School: A Qualitative, Arts-Based Study, Emma Pici-D'Ottavio

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Adolescence is an important developmental period marked by a search for identity and an increase in impulsive behaviors and intense emotions. The current study explored how a combined art therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS) model is beneficial and appropriate for adolescents in a school setting. A brief art therapy group was facilitated with students at a therapeutic high school. The intervention integrated IFS approaches, including externalization and guided visualizations, with the goal of understanding parts and increasing self-compassion. Three main themes emerged based on observations of the sessions: 1) the concept of parts encouraged self-understanding and reduced shame; 2) …

Experiences Of Post-Master's Arts Based Supervision With Art Therapists Of Color, Madoka Urhausen

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study explored experiences of art therapists of color who underwent post-master’s arts-based supervision (ABS) to obtain an art therapy credential. ABS emphasizes creation of clinical insight and knowledge through not only reviewing and evaluating client’s art and art processes but also having supervisees to engage in their own artmaking in response to their clinical work. The sample was chosen for their intersectional identities that added a layer of complexity to their identity formation. This qualitative phenomenological study employed Culturally Responsive Focus Group (CRFG) with Arts-based Research (ABR) methodology to explore two questions: (1) What are the experiences of …

Putting The Pieces Together: Inside/Outside Box Collage As A Group Art Therapy Directive For Supporting Emotional Containment In An Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital, Rachel Rogalski

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Finding an art therapy directive that can be effective in engaging patients with a wide range of mental health diagnoses can be challenging. Even more so is a clinician’s ability to foster a sense of safety within the therapeutic group space of a psychiatric hospital. Many patients feel vulnerable in these settings given the history of institutionalism, as well as their experience of being uprooted from their typical environments and routines. As an art therapist in this setting, understanding which materials can best suit this population may be challenging, often achieved through a process of trail-and-error. The implementation of art …

Radical Youth Work: A Community Based Approach To Working With Youth, Young Adults And Families, Weston J. Robins

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Eternal Strength Center for Radical Youth Work is a blended community center with customizable mental health therapeutic support for youth, young adults and families. Providing humanistic and person centered psychotherapy and counseling, alongside experiential therapies and community engagement we support families and youth struggling with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self harm, suicidality and other challenges on their developmental growth journey.

Medical Leave And Unrealistic Ministry Expectations A Study At Zion Lutheran Church, Aaron G. Flatau

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

A medical leave of absence due to a kidney transplant resulted in feelings of guilt and failure for a pastor when he was unable to fulfill his desired ministry tasks. These feelings of guilt and failure were speculated to be unwarranted.

To determine if these feelings were unwarranted, this paper researched sickness as presented in the Bible. Biblical research found illness to be a personal reminder of a global fall, found a link between forgiveness of sin and healing of sickness, and examined illness in the context of the Kingdom of God. Historical examination found that illness within the context …

Toward Wholeness: Discovering Intimacy With Jesus Through Holistic Healing, David H. Brown

Doctor of Ministry

NPO Statement: Christians longing for inner healing and wholeness along with growing intimacy with Jesus need a confident, competent pathway to follow.

Key Insights from Research: Intuitively true, but still surprising, the top factor for improving someone’s confidence in pursuing their healing and wholeness in a ministry setting is trust of the minister. This factor topped perceived competence of the minister, community support and biblical soundness as other confidence-building factors. Another key insight, this one brought about through my stakeholders, is the importance of telling one’s story, one’s testimony, to help gain trust and grow the confidence of a potential …

Developing A Lay Ministry Of Caregiving Skills To Parents And Families Who Grieve The Death Of A Child At Zion Hill Baptist Church, Cherryville, N.C., Roger Fuller

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project aims to educate those who minister to people who may experience the difficult misfortune of the grief and loss of a child. The concentration and intent of this work are to cultivate a ministry of caregiving skills for the members at Zion Hill Baptist Church of Cherryville, North Carolina. This caring ministry of the church will serve all who grieve, but the general focus of this project is to offer specialized care in aiding those who grieve the death of a child. This training is of great necessity because most church members, having not experienced losing a child, …

Internal Family Systems (Ifs) Therapy: Non-Pathologizing Healing For Inner Peace, Sylvia Hill

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a new approach to healing of the wounds and burdens caused by trauma, neglect and other relational injuries. The history of the development of IFS is outlined. The basic assumptions of IFS are shared. The roles parts take on in response to trauma are explained. The process of working with parts to bring about healing are described. Research on IFS is listed followed by a brief discussion of how IFS can fit within a Christian framework. Two case studies are provided to illustrate IFS being used in conjunction with Christian beliefs.

The Influence Of Internalized Heterosexism On Life Satisfaction: Comparing Sexual Minority Women In Belgium And Turkey, Esra Ummak, Ezgi Toplu-Demirtaş, Amber L. Pope, Jeffry Moe

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

To date, the majority of research studying lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) health has been conducted in Westernized, predominantly individualistic countries. Building on minority stress theory and models of LGBTQ health, we explored how sexual orientation and nationality moderated the association between internalized heterosexism and life satisfaction for lesbian and bisexual (LB) women living in two countries (Turkey and Belgium) with contrasting social contexts. The results of two-way MANOVA, in a sample of 339 Turkish and 220 Belgian LB women, revealed main effects but no interaction effects. LB women in Belgium reported less internalized heterosexism and more life …

A Tool For Digital Bibliotherapy: Fostering Emotional Resiliency Through A Visual Novel, Joy Cooper

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Suicide rates among children have risen over the last three years. In Clark County specifically, the numbers doubled between 2019 and 2021. The research for this project sought to find the benefits of bibliotherapy and create a tool to be used for early intervention in children displaying signs of developmental emotional and behavioral concerns. Additionally, the research focused on determining the benefits of bibliotherapy across various mediums with a particular aim on the accessibility of digital formats. The research concluded that bibliotherapy in a digital format is not only beneficial but has a tendency to produce higher engagement among children. …

"I'M Just Very Open To Trying New Things": Past Sexual Experiences And Sexual Curiosity In Bisexual Women, Rosalyn Zacarias

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bisexuals make up a large percentage of the LGBTQ+ community. Despite this, they remain invisible in the literature. Sexual curiosity is also a concept with limited and confusing literature. The purpose of the study is to look past sexual experiences and their influence on sexual curiosity in bisexual women. The contribution of this study aims to better understand how bisexual women make meaning out of their experiences and highlight the importance of sexual health research. Data was gathered with a sample of 6 bisexual women ranging from 19-29 years old using semi-structured interviews. Three superordinate themes and five subordinate themes …

Lusting After God : Sexual Struggle As A Catalyst For Spiritual Intimacy And Healing, David L. Janvier

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Relational Poverty: Healing Our Culture, Jenet Erickson

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

One of the most vexing challenges of our day is a profound hunger for connection, evidenced by an epidemic of loneliness, violence, relational poverty, and increasing mental health challenges. We are born to be in deep connection with others. As German analyst Frieda Fromm-Reichman wrote, “The longing for interpersonal intimacy stays with every human being from infancy through life, and there is no human being who is not threatened by its loss.” A radical cultural focus on autonomy with the associated ruptures in family stability, decreased religiosity and community engagement have increased loneliness in spite of the seeming “connectivity” of …

Secondary Traumatic Stress Is An Occupational Hazard For Pet Hospice Support Staff: Psychoeducational Support Groups Provide The Cure, Kari Hayden

DSW Capstone Projects

There are three separate yet interrelated products presented in this final capstone product. The completed product is focused on pet hospice veterinary support staff and the need for an evidence-based social work intervention to combat secondary traumatic stress. This capstone uses the andragogical approach to adult learning theory as the foundation to construct a psychoeducational peer support group specific to this population. Implications for clinical social work in veterinary medicine are presented within this project.

The first scholarly product presented is the Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The SLR utilizes a scoping review process in an attempt to locate prior research …

How Cultural Believes Support And Perpetuate Relational Violence: A Delphi Study For Violence Prevention, Alisha D. Guthery

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study solicited experts in relational violence across the United States using the Delphi methodology and grounded theory. This research was conducted in two phases and designed to answer two primary questions: (1) What cultural beliefs are involved in relational violence in the United States? And (2) How are the beliefs about relational violence maintained? The findings showed agreement from the experts on the societal beliefs that hold relational violence, the specific beliefs held by the abuser, and the impacts of these beliefs on the survivor. The experts offered ideas for intervention and prevention, which are important contributions to professional …