Counseling Commons^™

Counseling Emerging Adults In The Midst Of Life Transition: Applying Theory And Research To Practice, Joel A. Lane

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

During the past decade, research examining 18- to 29-year-olds has resulted in the recognition of emerging adulthood as being a distinct developmental stage. Changing societal conditions during the latter 20^th century have contributed to a prolonged identity exploration process that extends well into the twenties. This period encompasses both increased autonomy compared to adolescence and also a moratorium from adult responsibilities, resulting in a subjective feeling of being ‘in-between’.

Converging with these changes are the many life transitions that are experienced during emerging adulthood. It is common for an emerging adult to graduate high school, leave home, enter college …

Time Travel With Gilles Deleuze, John M. Winslade

Special Education, Rehabilitation & Counseling Faculty Publications

My focus here will be on working in therapy with an elastic concept of time built on Deleuze’s readings of time as a synthesis of the past, present and future. This interest has particular value for the construction of remembering conversations. I shall speak to the value I can see for this field of practice. The poststructuralist philosopher Gilles Deleuze has much to offer narrative practice through the concepts he developed. I intend to explore some specific aspects of his reconceptualization of time in this presentation.

The Efficacy Of Christian Devotional Meditation On Stress, Anxiety, Depression, And Spiritual Health With Korean Adults In The United States: A Randomized Comparative Study, Jinse Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the comparative effectiveness of Christian devotional meditation (CDM) versus progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on stress, anxiety, depression, and overall spiritual health among a sample of nonclinical Korean Christian adults in the United States. Seventy nine individuals at two churches in the northern Virginia area completed the study. At each church, the subjects were randomly assigned to a two-hour session of CDM training or PMR training. Each participant then was asked to practice the technique at home at least once a day for two weeks with audio recorded instructions. The participants' perceived level of stress, anxiety, depression, and …

Idealism & Reality: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Pastoral Expectations & Ministry Realities Experienced By Protestant Church Planting Pastors, Dwayne Bond

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With the majority of literature focused on reducing clergy stressors, there is a need to explore how pastors respond when ministry idealism dissipates, while familial and congregational expectations increase. When idealized expectations fade, how do clergy experience resiliency? The purpose of this study was to explore how idealism affects clergy resiliency and their responses, coping, and longevity in ministry. Ten new church-planting Protestant pastors were selected using snowball sampling. Each pastor was interviewed. Data from the two-hour in-depth interviews was collected, organized and analyzed. The findings for each interview were compared and contrasted, and themes were identified - a) utilizing …

Examining The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Religious Coping Strategies And Emotion Regulation, Mark Myers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study was conducted to explore the relationship Mindfulness has on Religious Coping and Emotion Regulation. Three hundred and fifty-seven participants attending an evangelical Christian university were studied using self-report measures of Mindful Awareness, Religious Coping style, and Emotion Regulation. A statistical mediation analysis was used to compare the relationship between these variables. The results indicate that although the relationship between Collaborative Religious Coping and the reappraisal function of Emotion Regulation was slight, Mindfulness mediated this relationship. The results and implications, as well as recommendations for further research, are discussed.

College Health And Mental Health Outcomes On Student Success, Daniel Joseph St. John

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between college students' utilization of university counseling services and university health services, and student academic performance. Data was collected using an archival data set including university counseling center records, health center records, and academic reports from institutional research at a large, public southeastern university. The primary variables of this study included: number of sessions in the university counseling center and/or university health center, instances of new initiated contacts, treatment variables, GPA, and degree completion. The overarching hypothesis of this study is that students who receive mental health services are significantly more likely to experience student …

Marital Selflessness Scale (Mss): An Exploratory Factor Analysis, Marj Buchholz-Castronova

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

There has been an increasing momentum in the field of marriage and family therapy to attune the therapy process to the client’s socio-culture influences; however when this socio-cultural influence includes spirituality there is often a restraint in the attuning. While there are several explanations for this, two rationales rise to the surface: therapist not feeling adequately trained to attune to spirituality and lack of validated tools to effectively measure this socio-cultural influence of spirituality. When working with couple’s this can be even more complicated as validated dyadic measures are limited and those that exist usually measure spirituality through a global …

Co-Constructing Cultural Attunement With Latino Clients In Couple Therapy, Marco Antonio Elias-Juarez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

There is a need for culturally attuned approaches for couple’s therapy with Mexican/ Mexican-American people (Falicov, 2009). However, there have been few theoretical frameworks to conceptualize cultural attunement, and attunement has been primarily understood as a skill or as an attitude rather than as a relationship or as a series of clinical concepts with steps to follow (Hoskins, 1999; Oakes, 2011). From the social constructionist perspective, cultural attunement is related to the cultural context and cultural interactions that shape beliefs and attitudes about what is meaningful in establishing deep relationships for Latino and non-Latino therapists and their Mexican and Mexican-American …

Testing A Model Of Maladaptive Perfectionism And Depression Symptoms: The Roles Of Emotional Disclosure, Emotion Regulation Strategies, Adult Attachment, And Shame, Angela M. Garrison

Dissertations

Previous research has supported a link between maladaptive perfectionism and higher levels of depression symptoms. However, researchers have not yet investigated the ways in which emotion regulation processes may mediate this relationship. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to evaluate emotional disclosure, emotional avoidance, and rumination as mediators of the relation between maladaptive perfectionism and depression symptoms. Additionally, this study also investigated the role that insecure attachment orientations play in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and use of particular emotion regulation strategies. Further, the role of shame in the emotion regulation processes of individuals with higher levels of …

The Significance Of Marriage Intensives: A Multi-Perspective Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Couples' Post Intensive Experience, Tara Lalonde

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

At a time when divorce rates remain at 50% regardless of treatment efforts, this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) explored and compared how couples made sense of their marriage experience one year after intensive marriage therapy for couples who found it significant and were able to maintain gains, and for couples who initially found it helpful but were unable to maintain gains. Three couples in each category were interviewed and compared resulting in six themes emerging from each group. Two additional overarching themes of regenerated versus disheartened and intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and change emerged to clearly distinguish the two groups …

Emotion Focused Therapy For Couples In Addiction Treatment: The Relationship Between Quality Of Recovery, Attachment Style, And Relational Satisfaction, Bonnie Bassett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigates the efficacy of Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples in an addiction recovery program. The literature review revealed that individuals with a secure attachment style experience increased relational satisfaction and report better ability to manage life's challenges as compared with individuals with an insecure attachment style. A pretest-posttest design was used to investigate the effect of EFT on quality of recovery from addiction. The primary measure's percentile rank scores were comparatively analyzed. A single case multiple baseline design was implemented to draw inferences based on examining the participants' assessment scores across baseline and intervention phases. The purpose …

The Influence Of Religiosity And Adult Attachment Style On Marital Satisfaction Among Korean Christian Couples Living In South Korea, Dae Woon Cho

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of religious commitment, spirituality and adult attachment style on marital satisfaction among South Korean Christian couples living in South Korea. Three hundred sixty nine South Korean Christian couples from nine Presbyterian churches in Seoul, Dejeon, Daegu, Gumi, and Busan participated in this research. The current study evaluated the psychometric utility of the Spiritual Assessment Scale (SAS) and investigated the relationships among religiosity (religious commitment and spirituality), attachment style (anxious and avoidant attachment) and marital satisfaction. For the psychometric evaluation of the SAS, Confirmatory Factor Analysis was conducted for the …

Female Relational Aggression: A Case Study Investigation Of The Transitioning Out Process, Lynne Lunsford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The developmental trajectory of relational aggression (RA) can launch as early as preschool and escalate from early to middle childhood, yet it is a phenomenon that may or may not endure the adult years. There is adequate understanding of relational aggression in the active phase, yet research that edifies the transitioning out process is dearth. Through a qualitative case study research design, the narratives of six females who ceased using RA enlightened the process of desistance. All females described the transitioning out process as having an identifiable turning point accompanied by cognitive and emotional shifts associated with recognizing, valuing, and …

Possible Psychosocial Benefits Of Having A Sibling With A Disability, Jenna M. Talbott

Senior Honors Theses

Possible psychosocial benefits resulting from exposure to siblings with disabilities are investigated in the current study. Previous literature has generally overlooked the possibility of psychosocial benefits by exclusively focusing on the negative effects of having a sibling with disabilities. Contact theory suggests that the increased exposure to individuals with disabilities should increase positive attitude toward those who are struggling with disadvantages. This investigation hypothesized that this tendency would be manifested as elevated empathy and compassion in individuals who have siblings with disabilities, and that these traits would be influenced by certain demographic variables. A survey was distributed, and the responses …

Counseling College Seniors Through The Transition Out Of College: Applying Theory And Research To Practice, Joel A. Lane, Dena Elghoroury

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The senior year of college represents a significant transition, during which individuals prepare to leave behind the freedom of the college experience and to assume ownership of adult roles. Recent research suggests that many of today’s college seniors are experiencing distress and reduced well-being regarding their ability to transition into career life, develop new support networks, and leave behind the freedom of the student lifestyle. This presentation will focus on the psychological implications of the graduation transition. The presenter will utilize his own research and clinical experience to provide attendees with a framework for understanding and working with seniors to …

An Exploration Of Early Childhood Attachment In A Sample Of Christian Men Experiencing Same-Sex Attraction, Ann Gillies

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the study was to describe the attachment histories of these men in an attempt to hear the lived experiences from the voices of the men themselves. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was utilized, followed by several in-depth questions. A phenomenological analysis of the transcripts revealed several themes.

The AAI themes were identified as Insecure attachment: (a) Unresolved/disorganized (U/d) due to loss; (b) Passively Preoccupied (E) with a rejecting/neglecting father and an involving/rejecting mother. Secondary themes of abuse and peer rejection were also identified. The themes of a neglecting father and over-involved mother were collaborated in the in-depth …

Responsible Self-Stewardship For Counselor And Counselee Well-Being, Lisa S. Sosin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This column, published in the Center for Counseling and Family Studies Quarterly e-magazine, provides information on responsible self-stewardship for counselor and counselee well-being. This edition covers the use of process notes to help counselors recognize and responsibly manage personal reactions that could potentially interfere with successful treatment. A case study and implications are provided.

The Neurobiology Of Burnout: A Christ-Centered Perspective On Managing Stress, Fear And Depression For Optimal Teaching And Functioning, Lisa S. Sosin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation focuses on developing a bio-psycho-social-spiritual toolbox for effectively managing stress, fear, and depression to support optimal teaching and functioning. Learning outcomes for the presentation include describing the neurobiology of burn out, exploring responses to stressful situations found in the Scriptures, practicing using tools introduced in the presentation to help regulate stress, fear, and depression, and applying content and skills taught in the presentation to develop a personal bio-psycho-social-spiritual toolbox for effectively managing stress, fear, and depression.

Treating Veterans With Complex Traumagenic Disorders: When Childhood Traumas And Current Traumas Collide, Albert Sarno

Faculty Publications and Presentations

A proposed working approach is delineated as a methodology for treating persons with complex traumagenic disorders. It provides a format and a system of treatment, in order to help reduce the symptom clusters which occur in people who have experienced a combination of childhood trauma, as well as adult trauma, whether as a result of exposure to natural disasters, combat or war. It is argued that traumagenic resolution therapy needs to occur first, before cognitive behavior therapy can be effective. In addition a systems approach is needed to assist the person within the context of their environment, and then tasks …

Mindfully Educating Our Future: The Mesg Curriculum For Training Emergent Counselors, Lynn Bohecker, Cristen Wathen, Pamela Wells, Beronica M. Salazar, Linwood G. Vereen

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

The 2009 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs standards (II.G.6.e) and the Association for Specialists in Group Work both promote and support counselors in training (CITs) having direct experience as group members. Counselor educators must develop experiential group curricula, which intentionally facilitate CIT growth and development, while meeting ethical and accreditation standards. The Mindfulness Experiential Small Group (MESG) Curriculum was developed to assist in meeting and exceeding these standards. The skills obtained through the MESG can provide CITs with ways to manage academic and emotional challenges while facilitating counselor development in a group context.

Practice Patterns Of Equine Assisted Psychotherapists, Haley Gresham

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Modeled after Doherty & Simmons’ (1996) study on the practice patterns of marriage and family therapists, this project explored similar questions about equine assisted/facilitated psychotherapists who are members of two main certification organizations, EAGALA and PATH Intl. An Internet survey distributed to equine assisted/facilitated practitioners across the country explored demographic information of the clinician, their clients, and their typical work setting. Equine assisted/facilitated psychotherapy is a growing field and gaining an understanding of the current position of the field allows for growth in areas that are currently underdeveloped within this sector of the mental health field.

Confidentiality And Mental Health/Chaplaincy Collaboration, Denise Bulling, Mark Dekraai, Tarik Abdel-Monem, Jason A. Nieuwsma, William C. Cantrell, Keith Ethridge, Keith Meador

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Confidentiality can both facilitate and inhibit working relationships of chaplains and mental health professionals addressing the needs of service members and veterans in the United States. Researchers conducted this study to examine opportunities for improving integration of care within the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Interviews were conducted with 198 chaplains and 201 mental health professionals in 33 DoD and VA facilities. Using a blended qualitative research approach, researchers identified several themes from the interviews, including recognition that integration can improve services; chaplaincy confidentiality can facilitate help seeking behavior; and mental health and chaplain confidentiality …

Coming Out, Coming Together, Coming Around: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Families' Experiences Adjusting To A Young Family Member's Disclosure Of Non-Heterosexuality, Denise M. Fournier Rodriguez

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Young people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) are disclosing their sexual identity--or coming out--at progressively younger ages, making it more important than ever for the general population to understand, tolerate, and accept diversity in sexual identity. This study was designed to fill the gap in the existing literature about how the coming out process affects LGB young people's families of origin. Three LGB young people participated in the study, along with a member of each of their families. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with each of the participants, as well as a conjoint interview with each of …

Awareness Of Privilege And Oppression Scale-2: Construction And Initial Validation, Michael J. Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The purpose of this study was to revise the Awareness of Privilege and Oppression Scale (Montross, 2003) and to improve upon the psychometric properties of the original instrument. The APOS-2 is a diversity training outcome measure that is designed to measure the social justice-related construct awareness of privilege and oppression. I retained 26 items from the original APOS (Montross, 2003) and utilized an expert focus group to generate new test items for the APOS-2. Feedback from an expert rater group was solicited and then incorporated into the APOS-2 to help reduce the number of items, improve item content, and evaluate …

Living With Uncertainty: The Impact On Breast Cancer Survivors And Their Intimate Partners, Kimberley Dockery

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

This study explored the lived experiences of breast cancer survivors and their intimate partners. The research was informed by a social constructionist framework and phenomenological method of inquiry. While the body of literature on the physical, psychological, and social health of breast cancer survivors is growing, only a few studies have focused solely on the lived experience of survivorship and the uncertainty of recurrence. This study sought to explore the construction of meaning in the couples' context and experiences of surviving breast cancer. The present study examined how breast cancer survivors make meaning of their survivorship in context of living …

Same-Sex Couples' Lived Experiences Of The Repeal Of The Defense Of Marriage Act's (Doma) Section Three, Alicia Anne Bosley

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Same-sex couples are affected by the social and political climates in which they live, as these create the difference between acceptance and legalization, and discrimination and prohibition, of their relationships. This contingence is made increasingly impactful by the privileges and protections afforded to married couples by the federal government; same-sex couples, along with other couples that choose not to, or cannot, marry, are excluded from these benefits. Following the June 26, 2013 ruling that Section Three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, was unconstitutional, same-sex couples were given access …

Attachment, Well-Being, And College Senior Concerns About The Transition Out Of College, Joel A. Lane

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined the relationships among attachment, psychological well-being (PWB), life satisfaction, and concerns about the transition out of college among a sample of college seniors. A path analysis was conducted predicting that PWB and life satisfaction would mediate the relationships between attachment and three types of graduation transition concerns: career, change and loss, and support. Significant mediation effects impacting career concerns and change and loss concerns were discovered. Implications for college counseling are discussed. Keywords: attachment, college graduation, transition.

An Evaluation Of The Penn Resiliency Program For Disruptive Preadolescents In An Elementary School Setting, Mildred Howard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Penn Resiliency Program in decreasing disruptive behavior, modifying negative automatic thoughts and improving academic achievement. Forty-eight students from two Title I schools in Georgia participated in this study. The Behavior Assessment Scale for Children, Second Edition, Progress Monitor, The Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale and report card grades were used to evaluate program effectiveness. Research results suggest the program effectively reduced negative automatic thoughts and improved academic performance.

Teacher Support Mediates Concurrent And Longitudinal Associations Between Temperament And Mild Depressive Symptoms In Sixth Grade, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Kate Niehaus

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The combination of changes occurring at the transition to middle school may be a catalyst for the onset of depressive symptoms, yet teacher support at this transition is protective. Research points to certain temperamental traits as risk factors for developing depressive symptoms. This study examines student reports of teacher support and teacher reports of student–teacher relationship (STR) quality as mediators of associations between child temperament (i.e. negative emotionality at age 4½ : and emotional reactivity in elementary grades) and depressive symptoms in sixth grade. Results indicate (a) negative emotionality predicted emotional reactivity and depressive symptoms; (b) emotional reactivity predicted depressive …

The Impact Of Cognitive Behavior Techniques On The Vocational Identity Of Persons With Disabilities Receiving Ssi/Ssdi Benefits, James Joseph Quinn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) on the vocational identity, self-efficacy, and vocational satisfaction of persons with disabilities receiving SSI/SSDI. This study was carefully planned to help persons with disabilities obtain employment. A review of the relevant literature was used to determine the need for the study and to support the study. Forty participants, all were enrolled into a vocational rehabilitation program were selected for the study. Threats to internal and external validity were taken into consideration and controlled for. They received CBT as a treatment intervention to change their beliefs and irrational thoughts about the …