Counseling Commons^™

Understanding Grief And Loss With Children From Divorced Families, Angela C. Meyer

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to present information about how grief and loss affect children from divorced families. Divorce can be just as traumatic as the death of a loved one, and the divorce rate continually increases every year. Two models of grief and how they apply to children of divorce are presented, as well as an explanation the process of grief in relation to divorce. Finally, this researcher identifies prevention and intervention techniques that schools and the whole community can use to aid children through the grief process of divorce.

A Naturalistic Investigation Into The Processes And Themes Of Recovery From Chemical Dependency, Mark Thomas Blagen

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The research on recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction has generally focused on the causes of relapse. Although the study of the causes of relapse is an important endeavor, the results of this focus remain inconclusive. Understanding the process and themes of recovery is also an important question that remains a significant challenge.

This study attempts to explain, in part, why it is that one person can have many relapse indicators and still thrive in recovery, while another who has multiple layers of support and opportunity for recovery, succumbs to addiction. This study also attempts to determine if and how …

Attachment Disorders And Personality Disorders : A Possible Connection, Jen Sacora

Graduate Research Papers

Researchers now propose that attachment theory can be applied beyond childhood. They believe attachment exists in adulthood and influences adult relationships. Possible connections between personality disorders and well-known approaches to personality development such as attachment theory have been made (Brennan & Shaver, 1998).

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between parent-infant attachment which influence adult relationships and psychopathology. Theories of personality development as they relate to attachment will be explored as well as influence of early childhood experiences on personality. Finally, possible connections between attachment disorders and personality disorders will be speculated.

The Use Of Metaphor In Counseling, Helen Driscoll Kemp

Graduate Research Papers

Language is a powerful tool of which metaphorical language is one compelling feature that the therapist has at his or her disposal. Through the use of metaphor, therapeutic communication is enhanced and abstract ideas become more tangible. This paper begins with a dictionary definition of metaphor and how some of the experts in the field have defined it. Several types of metaphor will be described along with some practical examples for each type. Metaphor can be used in various counseling modalities. Four modalities will be described along with why metaphors are useful. Finally the paper will conclude with the process …

Losing Faith : The Process Of Converting To Atheism, Jennifer J. Jacobi

Graduate Research Papers

The current study examines the process of converting to atheism and the counseling issues associated with it. It is argued that conversion to atheism can be conceptualized according to the model of religious conversion that Paloutzian, Richardson, and Rambo (1999) suggested. Research on atheism is reviewed in terms of how it fits into the stages of this model, and implications for counseling are discussed.

School Age Bullying : The Victim's Point Of View, Jacquelyn L. Miller

Graduate Research Papers

Bullying is a common problem in schools across the world including in the United States. This paper focuses on the problem of bullying from the victim's point of view. Bullying can be defined in a variety of different ways and occurs in a variety of different situations. Victims of bullies suffer from a wide variety of academic, social, behavioral, and emotional problems. A comprehensive approach that includes school counselors, teachers, administrators, and parents is needed to combat bullying within the school. Bully prevention and intervention programs can help victims more effectively if they change their orientation from focusing on the …

Male Childhood Sexual Abuse : Do Not Overlook It, Elizabeth Soenen

Graduate Research Papers

Male childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is often unrecognized and under-reported; therefore, its symptoms are often left untreated. The research reveals it is more prevalent than previously thought and is accompanied by a variety of maladaptive symptoms. Clinicians' awareness of these findings, along with self-awareness of their own beliefs about male CSA, is likely to lead to identification of its presence and the opportunity to choose appropriate interventions.

Personal Growth Groups For Therapists, Vicky A. Knapp

Graduate Research Papers

Since the birth of psychotherapy, the need for therapists to attend to their own personal healing and growth has been recognized. This tradition of personal therapy has been incorporated into many current programs that train therapists/helpers in this country. Freud and a large number of subsequent practitioners have also advocated periodic or ongoing personal therapy throughout the therapist's career span. Self-exploration groups can be an excellent means to keep helpers in touch with their humanness, to further their personal and professional growth, and to reduce toxic consequences of practicing therapy.

Relational Aggression In Early Adolescent Girls, Sara M. Bucknam

Graduate Research Papers

There are differences in aggressive behavior between early adolescent boys and girls. Girls use relational aggressive methods to gain control over their peers. In general, schools do not directly address this form of aggression. School counselors are in the position to reduce relational aggression in schools. Assessment must first be performed in order to address the level of aggression in girls. This can be completed through questionnaires or focus groups. There are several prevention and intervention methods that be incorporated in schools. These methods can reduce relational aggression in early adolescent girls.

When The Wildebeest Gets Your Berries : Adolescent Anger Management, Patresa A. Hartman

Graduate Research Papers

This study presents a review of literature regarding adolescent anger management. Problematic anger is defined as externalizing or internalizing behaviors that occur frequently enough and at a high enough level of intensity to: (1) disrupt one's everyday functioning at school, home, and/or in the community; and (2) impair one's relationships with others and one's own self-concept. The causes can be traced to a myriad of possible sources: cognitive problems; developmental problems; chronic irritability, agitation, volatility, or mood instability; or environmental stressors.

This review of studies regarding adolescent anger management programs leads to the following suggestions for school psychologists: (1) understand …

School-Based Prevention Of Adolescent Substance Abuse, Kristina Lorenzen

Graduate Research Papers

Because of the prevalence and serious consequences of adolescent substance abuse, it is necessary to review programming for prevention. Progress has been made in identifying effective prevention methods. However, there is a gap between what research has shown to be effective and the methods commonly used in most schools.

The purpose of this paper is to review existing literature and research on substance abuse prevention for adolescents. The following research questions were addressed: How prevalent is adolescent substance abuse? What specific factors put an adolescent at risk for substance abuse? Why are some programs considered ineffective? What components make an …

The Effects Of A Mother's Incarceration On Her Children, Jane Elizabeth Mayer

Graduate Research Papers

This study examined the effects of a mother's incarceration on her children. Benefits, as well as problems, associated with facilitating a mother-child visitation program were discussed. Guidelines were presented for parents, caregivers, children, and prison staff on a successful mother-child visitation program. Conclusions were drawn from the literature and recommendations were made for the future facilitation of a mother-child visitation program.

An Overview Of Bibliotherapy As An Intervention For Young Children, Lisa Ludwig

Graduate Research Papers

Young children can benefit from therapy to deal with disabilities, abuse, normal developmental issues such as famiily problems, and social-emotional issues. One approach to helping children manage psychological issues is bibliotherapy. In its simplest form, bibliotherapy can be described as the practice of using books in treatment, or helping with books (Pardeck & Pardeck, 1993; Pardeck & Pardeck, 1987). The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on bibliotherapy and to examine its possible applications, its effectiveness, and best practices in carrying out the intervention.

A School Psychologist's Role In Decreasing Eating Disorder Prevalence In School-Aged Children, Natalie Muth

Graduate Research Papers

Eating disorders have dramatically increased over the last 20 years, resulting in prevalence rates exceeding other high-incidence medical conditions treated in the educational setting. Chapter 2 presents a review of literature covering eating disorder identification, history, prevalence and epidemiological data. Theoretical perspectives, risk and protective factors, symptoms, and medical complications are also reviewed. Current assessment measures used for screening and diagnosing anorexia and bulimia is additionally presented along with a summary of school-based primary prevention programs. The second chapter concludes with a brief overview of eating disorder treatment.

A summary is presented in chapter 3 along with implications for school …

How Does Childhood Incest Affect The Interpersonal Relationships Of Adult Females, Lyle Potter

Graduate Research Papers

Incest has been occurring in families for many years, often behind a cloak of secrecy and fear of disclosure. More recently, the taboo in talking about incest has diminished, and many survivors of incest have come forward with their experiences to seek needed help. A major portion of the research has dealt with trying to understand the family dynamics. But a growing number of studies are beginning to look at the long term effects of the abuse, and some of them focus on adult interpersonal relationships. It is in this direction that this literature review and study will focus.

Preventing Childhood Depression By Building Resiliency In Children, Sarah Carroll

Graduate Research Papers

This review of literature is a report of the success of programs designed to prevent childhood depression by building resiliency. Research results indicate that prevention programs focused on teaching children and parents coping skills, changing negative thought patterns, social problem solving, teaching the symptoms of childhood depression and how to discuss it with children, and fostering resiliency have reduced the incidence of depression in children (Comer, 1985; Gladstone & Beardslee, 2000; Seligman, 1995).

Additional research needs to address the following questions: a) How does building resilience differ for children from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds? b) . What are the …

School-Based Bully Prevention And Violence, Catherine T. Mclallen

Graduate Research Papers

This paper reviews the literature available on several bully prevention/violence awareness programs. Also discussed is the significance of prevention programs and the roles they can play in today's school systems. It includes a definition of bullying behavior and describes the several types of bullying prevalent in schools today that most programs attempt to address. Additionally, it includes a brief history of bully prevention programs, with a look at the zero tolerance movement, an initiative that has not been overly successful in the past with regards to aggression in schools.

The paper also explores the effects of bullying on the victim …

Self-Criticism As Experienced By Performing Artists A Phenomenological Study, Rosemary Hakes

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and document the essence of the experience of self-criticism for performing artists with the aim of providing recommendations for educational and therapeutic purposes. Moustakas (1994) defines essence as “that which is common or universal, the condition or quality without which a thing would not be what it is” (p. 100). In this study a phenomenological research paradigm was used. Each step in the data reduction process built directly toward revelation of essence through synthesis.

The central question guiding this research was: What is the essence of self-criticism as it is experienced by …

Social Work Education As Preparation For Working With Individuals With Disabilities, Carol Louise Davis

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to explore the question of whether or not graduate schools in social work have adequately prepared social workers to deal with the changing needs of individuals with disabilities.

Facing The Death Of A Child : Effects On The Family System, Rita Kae Conger

Graduate Research Papers

The death of a child could very well be the most difficult crisis a family system can face. The uniqueness and severity of this type of crisis make it quite important for those in the counseling field to be aware of the many different aspects of a child's death which may be very significant to the child's family.

For this reason, the purpose of this paper is to describe a number of variables which affect the healing process. These variables include the cause of death, the age of the child at the time of death, family dynamics, and the relationship …

Coming Out : Implications For Counselors Working With Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Clients, Eric L. Rhodes

Graduate Research Papers

A considerable amount of research has stated that gays and lesbians utilize mental health counseling services at a high rate. Therefore it is very likely that counselors encounter lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients. This research focuses on how the sexual orientation of the counselor affects the counseling process when working with LGB clients. In particular, this paper will discuss how the sexual orientation of the counselor facilitates or inhibits client identity development and the coming out process.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder : Is It A Behavior Disorder Or Active Childhood Behavior?, Larry G. Scheel

Graduate Research Papers

Although attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder constitutes 33 to 50% of mental health referrals for children, an increasing number of researchers has begun to question the validity of ADHD as a legitimate diagnosis. Eberstadt in her 1999 review stated, "Society has changed since the mid-1980s to view what may be normal childhood activity as lack of behavioral compliance" (p.1). Could the prevalence of ADHD simply be an increasingly active society's response to normal, active childhood behavior? The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of ADHD and explore assessment methods. Data from current literature and personal interviews with recognized professionals …

Sorrow Into Joy: A Phenomenological Study Of Adult Women Survivors Of Child Sexual Abuse, Eldine M. Webster

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to learn how six mid-life women who had been sexually abused as children perceived the way in which that early experience had impacted their life to date. Using a phenomenological qualitative life-history approach, each participant was interviewed for a period of from one to three hours. Content analysis of the interviews and member-checking with participants who volunteered to do so resulted in eight major themes emerging from the data: memories, family, career, addictions, depression, boundaries and embodiment, counseling, and synchronicity. The last theme, synchronicity, very closely related to the concept of spirituality and a …

Religion And Spirituality In Counseling : A Multicultural Perspective, Linda G. Culbertson

Graduate Research Papers

As the counseling profession moves into the 21st Century a greater emphasis is being placed on multicultural and spiritual issues. It is difficult to see how the two entities can be separated. When counselors ignore that a client is Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or Christian with the unspoken assumption that religion is irrelevant .to their issues, this may jeopardize the forming of an effective therapeutic relationship (Burke, et al., 1999). Knowledge of religion and spiritual beliefs of ethnic groups can help professionals provide care that is culturally specific and sensitive to the beliefs of the individual (Bibbins, 2000).

South Africa: Who Uses Youth Centers And Why?, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

In 2000, the Reproductive Health Research Unit in KwaZulu Natal and the Population Council conducted an assessment of 12 youth centers and 7 affiliated peer education programs. The 12 centers, located in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, offer very different services. The two centers of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health focus on providing reproductive health (RH) information and services to adolescents. The six centers of the Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Project provide a broader range of youth-friendly RH services, including counseling and life skills education, as well as modest recreational activities. The four centers run by loveLife have large …

Konsep Pengurusan Kaunseling Perbandingan : Suatu Kajian Terhadap Pengamalannya Di Beberapa Institusi Pendidikan Sekitar Kuala Terengganu, Asyraf Ridwan Ali

Student Works (2000-2009)

ASYRAF RIDWAN HJ. ALI; Comparison Of Counseling Management Concept: A Research On It ·s Practice In Some Of The Educational Institution Around Kuala 'Terengganu. Mini-Disertasi ; Department of Islamic Theology, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. This Islam an Author research of A Thinking In An Islamic Management System specialized in Counseling. It include a comparison between a concept that being propose by the western intelligentsia and a concept according to the Islamic perception whether in theory, practical, vision, etc., which being use in a daily management of counseling. Most of counseling institution in Malaysia use that …

Peranan Kaunseling Dalam Dakwah : Kajian Khusus Di Unit Kerjaya Dan Kaunseling Institut Teknologi Mara (Itm) Shah Alam Selangor, Abdu Rahman Ibrahim

Student Works (2000-2009)

Eversence its establishment in 1969, the Counselling and Career Guidance Unit at Student Affair Division ITM Shah Alam has witnessed the development of the vocational and counselling services in ITM Shah Alam. Numerous services which were the important elements in vocational guidance and counselling had been implemented. However, it is still questionable whether the elements of dakwah were embedded in all the services carried out? These questions had urged the writer to find the answers. With reference to this, the main problems being studied in this dissertation are: With reference to its counselling services in ITM, what are the contributions …

Youth Violence : A Comprehensive Literature Review, Amy L. Licht

Graduate Research Papers

Over the last decade a great deal of literature has been focused on the subject of youth violence. For this paper, youth violence is defined as elementary and adolescent-aged boys and girls who commit violent acts. These include: the use of physical force to produce injury or death to others, gang fighting, hate crimes, sexual and/or physical assault, bringing and/or using weapons at school, and aggressive behavior used as a means to gain a certain outcome.

Many studies have been conducted focusing on several dynamics involved in this complicated issue. The focus of the present work was primarily to: review …

Burnout : Implications For Counselors, Rhonda L. Corell

Graduate Research Papers

The phenomenon of burnout has received wide attention during the last fifteen years, especially in human service organizations. Burnout may affect individuals in a number of ways within the work setting. Its consequences may be physical, emotional, or intellectual (Whitaker, 1995). The key characteristics are an overwhelming exhaustion; feelings of frustration, anger, and cynicism; and a sense of ineffectiveness and failure (Maslach & Goldberg, 1998). Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment are symptoms of a cognitive and emotional state that mental health workers experience and observe among their colleagues (Leiter & Harvie, 1996). Although some people may quit the …

Holistic Approaches In Counseling, Rachel Denhart

Graduate Research Papers

The concept of holism has several meanings according to this review of the literature; the origination and evolution is complex. The definitions and context of holism in counseling are specified. Moreover, the elements and models based in holism are examined. Finally, the areas in which holistic based counseling occurs are outlined and investigated.