Counseling Commons^™

Older Adults’ Physical Activities And Subjective Well-Being, Mihae Bae, Hyunsook Kang

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This study examined the relationships between physical activities as health behaviors and subjective well-being in older adults. Data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) survey were used. The NSHAP study sampled persons 57-85 years of age (n=3005). The respondents completed a telephone survey, reporting their background information and social networking characteristics. For data analysis, a two-step hierarchical regression was used in order to identify the associations between the demographic and physical activity factors on subjective perception of well-being in older adults. Our results indicated that, among the demographic, income, education, health status, and participation …

Staffs’ Perceptions Of Sensory-Based Interventions At An Inpatient Hospital: A Case Study, Anthony Zazzarino, Francine Bates, Janet Vlavianos, Aaron Levitt

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

The purpose of this phenomenological, case study is to understand the role of sensory-based interventions and their impact on a single facility on the west coast of the United States. Data was collected from 15 participants using a semi-structured interview and followed a thematic data analysis process, ensuring thematic saturation. The results of this study highlighted major themes regarding the impact of sensory based interventions. This study continues to add to the literature base, supporting sensory-based interventions as an alternative modality to treat individuals with a mental illness. Continuing to understand sensory interventions and its impact on mental health recovery …

Ameliorating Stress And Burnout Among Professionals Who Work With Migrants And Refugees, Mark Lusk, Samuel Terrazas

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Professionals and volunteers who work with refugees and forced migrants experience burnout and secondary stress as a result of exposure to the trauma and adversities confronted by their clients. A pilot project aimed at reducing these problems through the use of group discussion, sharing, guided movement, relaxation techniques, and mindfulness was found to reduce burnout and secondary traumatic stress among participants.

Crisis Counseling Self- Efficacy: Personal Abilities And Situational Influences, Suzanne Maniss Ph.D., Yuleinys A. Castillo Ph.D., Jason Cartwright, Selma D. Yznaga Ph.D.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Crises are unpredictable in nature and affect the general well-being of individuals. A proper crisis management foundation can prepare future counselors to effectively work with clients who are experiencing a crisis. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of counselors-in-training (CIT) in relation to their anticipated crisis intervention abilities. This paper reports the results of qualitative focus groups of counselors in training. Participants reported perceived strengthens and limitations shaping their ability to handle a crisis. Counselor preparation offers opportunities to properly train culturally responsive providers for crisis management.

Key words: Crisis counseling; self-efficacy; counselor education

Exploring The Impact Of The Achievement Gap On Shame And Resilience In African American College Students, Brittany R. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The achievement gap refers to the stark difference that occurs between racial or gender groups, as one group performs significantly higher than the other. An achievement gap has the propensity to produce psychological distress, as well as buffering techniques that are necessary for survival and success. Growing research shows that African American college students experience unique levels of trauma, shame, hardship, macro, and micro-aggressions, suggesting that these students learn to self-preserve as early as 10 years old. This study used a Pearson correlation, Independent T-Test, and a Moderated Multiple Regression to explore the impact of the achievement gap on shame …

K-12 Economically Disadvantaged Students, Poverty, And Education: Ecological Narratives Of Successful Raised-In-Poverty, Texas Educators, Rebecca N. Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study aimed to understand how successful Texas educators who grew up in poverty understood and improved the educational experience of economically disadvantaged students. This study utilized a structural ecological theory and three theories of social relationships (Social Identity, Standpoint, and Cultural Capital). This phenomenological and qualitative study used a cross-sectional, descriptive, online case study design rooted in narrative nonfiction. Virtual interviews with six successful Texas educators that grew up in poverty were conducted. A narrative method of analysis was utilized to generate codes then organize them into themes, and to construct and compare the narrative findings. The results …

The Tipping Point: A Faith Perspective, Osaro Airen, Lakia M. Scott, Gwendolyn C. Webb, Norvella P. Carter, Patricia Larke, General C. Johnson

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

The Journal of Faith Education, and Community’s (JFEC) Special Issue entitled, "The Tipping Point: A Faith Perspective," features articles written from a first-person point of view and faith perspective. The articles focus on the authors’ feelings, emotions, and/or experiences surrounding critical and impactful diversity-related events (i.e. the horrific death of George Floyd, protests for equity and the eradication of hate, etc.).

The Work Is Within: My Buddhist Faith As I Reckon With Police Shootings & Racial Unrest, Vicki Mokuria

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

Based on the author’s life story in which her husband was shot and killed by police officers in front of her and their two young children, she provides a first-person narrative of her experience, linking the ways her Buddhist faith and practice have sustained her over the years. She recounts snippets of her privileged childhood growing up Jewish in the South before meeting and marrying her Ethiopian husband and beginning a family with him, along with beginning their Buddhist practice. Specific aspects of Buddhist philosophy are incorporated in this piece to provide insights into a Buddhist lens on our current …

Close Encounters: Mass Incarceration Tactics, Kevin L. Jones

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

As a Black man living in America, my Christian faith walk began at an early age. Growing up in a suburban environment, I had several encounters with law enforcement that shaped my belief system. These encounters were and still are a stark reminder that Black boys and men are under attack. Policing negatively impacts Black boys and men when compared to other races of people. I realized that I was in their cross hairs and I was almost consumed by the criminal justice system on many occasions. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this work focused on the centrality …

An Open Letter To My White Christian Friend, Norvella Carter

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

Abstract

As human beings, our world revolves around relationships. As Christians, we are charged to have positive relationships that can grow into friendships. The importance of friendships is infused throughout scripture, because they allow us to bring others to Christ, encourage and uplift the soul and bear each other’s burdens. Without deep discussions, relationships cannot grow. As an African American, when I consider my friendships, I am finding an emotional need to share my feelings more deeply with White friends, who sincerely want to know the truth about my views on important social ills, particularly racism. Given the state of …

Factors Associated With The Work-Related Burnout Of Residential Employees: An Examination Of Perfectionism And Coping, Autumn L. Cabell

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Employees in residential facilities face emotionally stressful situations with youth who often become physically aggressive. Exposure to physical aggression and a stressful work environment can lead to burnout in employees who work in youth residential facilities. Previous research suggests that perfectionism and coping styles are related to burnout. However, there is a gap in the literature related to the relationships between perfectionism, coping, and burnout in residential employees. Therefore, this study sought to explore the relationships among adaptive perfectionism, avoidant coping styles, and work-related burnout in (n = 69) residential employees. The results indicated that both avoidant coping styles …

A Critical Analysis Of The Utilization Of Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (Emdr) Psychotherapy With African American Clients, Allen Lipscomb, Wendy Ashley

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapeutic intervention designed to decrease distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR has been validated and confirmed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as a primary treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has been recognized as effective by the World Health Organization and the Department of Defense. Multiple studies reflect EMDR’s capacity to heal the brain from psychological trauma; thus, clients are able to immediately experience the benefits of psychotherapy that previously took years to obtain. However, despite EMDR’s efficacy, there are minimal references to diversity, culture or context in EMDR research and …

Weaving In Wellness: Infographics For Self-Care, Adair Finucane, Mickey Sperlich, Whitney Mendel

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Human service professionals are at risk for burnout, vicarious trauma (VT), and compassion fatigue (CF) throughout their careers, and contemporary levels of burnout, VT, and CF suggest a need for interventions. Engagement in mindfulness and self-care has been found to buffer these risks while increasing worker wellbeing. This article presents infographics intended for facilitating practical self-care engagement. The accompanying infographics provide guidance for mindful self-care behaviors woven into daily transitions. They present a low-cost means of promoting self-care strategies throughout agencies and organizations. This, along with minimal time commitments for each practice, makes these infographics an accessible intervention for human …

Infusing Counseling Theories With The Integrated Developmental Model: Strengthening Supervision Practices, Deena Shelton, Anthony Zazzarino

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Supervision is vital to all human services professions to help new professionals assimilate to their roles. There are many theory based supervisory methods to guide supervisors, and counseling professionals have suggested that the adoption of a developmental model of supervision prepares the supervisor to partner with supervisees to facilitate feedback related to developmental milestones. This paper explores the dynamics of combining the Integrated Developmental Model (IDM) of supervision with counseling theories that influence supervision styles and offers examples of how IDM is flexible in combining with theoretical approaches by providing examples and information related to its integration with solution-focused supervision …

Perceptions Of Recovery While Delivering Medicaid Covered Rehabilitation Services, Zakia Clay, Anthony Zazzarino, Emilie Banz, Ann Reilly

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Many states have shifted to Medicaid reimbursement methods to cover behavioral health services. In doing so, state mental health authorities have incorporated the concept of recovery into mental health policy. Thus, gaining a better understanding of practitioners’ perceptions of recovery in a new fiscal environment is warranted. This qualitative study explores how New Jersey practitioners transitioning to a new state-wide Medicaid payment structure perceive recovery from mental illness. Four themes emerged following a thematic analysis. Future studies that explore perspectives of individuals receiving services could provide useful information for policy makers, agencies, and community stakeholders.

The Identity Formation Process Of Immigrant Children: A Case Study Synthesis, Jose Carbajal

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Children who immigrate often have difficulties in adjusting to their host country. A single case study based on similar narratives is composed to develop the character of a child’s developmental cultural issues as he immigrated to the United States from El Salvador. Attachment theory is reviewed to discuss how detachment and re-attachment affected him. A review of the literature on assimilation and acculturation is also provided. Objectives: The author synthesizes the work experience with the population with migration history to illustrate how attachment and loss impact these individuals, through a composed case study illustrated through the experience of Ramni, …

Daniel Gomez

Barrio Writers

No abstract provided.

How Does Autism Affect The Processing Of Child Sexual Abuse Trauma?, Jose Carbajal, Regina T. Praetorius

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Children in general are a vulnerable population, but children with neurodevelopmental disorders are even more vulnerable. This case study, which uses secondary qualitative data to focus on a survivor of sexual abuse who has autism, explores how a child with autism interprets and processes being sexually abused. We contrast how a child with autism experiences child sexual abuse with the experiences of children without autism; major differences emerged in terms of how a child with autism normalizes and interprets sexual abuse. The findings of this study indicate mental health professionals need more training regarding the complications autism adds to the …

The Dyadic Dance During Deployment: Veteran And Partner Romantic Attachment, Warren Ponder, Jose Carbajal

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

A strong family unit and dyadic relationship can buffer against the possible development of depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A growing body of literature has been investigating how couples communicate during a combat separation. However, there has not been a robust framework to conceptualize the findings; this paper posits that attachment theory can fill this gap. This study was a cross-sectional retrospective design that included twenty-two heterosexual dyads. Nine modes of communication were assessed: letters, care packages, email, telephone, text with phone, social networking, Skype, instant messenger and instant messenger with video. Also, frequency of communication was examined for …

Accessing Human Services Programs: Areas Of Improvement With Awareness And Communication, Risha Berry, Kaprea F. Johnson

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Lack of accessibility to human services programs is a major barrier to service provision. Archival focus group data from 21 non-profit and public human services agency representatives examined consistency and discrepancies among reported services and services that were identifiable on the internet. This study is important because the internet is often the first step a consumer takes toward seeking help, if the information is not accessible online, this is a barrier to service. Our results found grave discrepancies between available information on websites and reported services during the focus group. Additionally, we found that most websites were not accessible to …

Organizational Change: The Experiences Of Practitioners Transitioning To A Fee-For-Service Model, Anthony Zazzarino, Zakia Clay, Ann Reilly

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Many human service agencies are in the midst of a transition for a fee-for-service model. Through the midst of the transition, organizations must shift the culture of their agency and adapt to the new service delivery approach. Some organizational changes can create feelings of insecurity among staff, fewer resources, and greater potential for employee burnout. Though there is some research that provides valuable information, it often fails to highlight the individual experiences of the worker. This phenomenological study begins to explore the experiences and perceptions of practitioners working in supported housing agencies during the transition to a fee-for-service approach. The …

Power In The Counseling Relationship: The Role Of Ignorance, Izaak L. Williams, Peg O'Connor

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This article explores the role of therapist self-disclosure in clinical settings. Distinctions are made between the enmeshed concepts of privacy, secrecy, and confidentiality to elucidate the role of ignorance in maintaining the power dynamics in therapeutic relationships. While some measure of privacy is essential to counseling practice, secretive behavior (in which the counselor divulges too little about themselves) can have a negative impact on the therapeutic relationship and the client’s therapeutic outcomes. There is, therefore, an under-appreciated and delicate balancing act between withholding information to protect the client and the counselor and revealing enough personal details to empower the client’s …

“Are We Getting There? Human Services Community College Students’ Experiences With Evidence Based Practice (Ebp) In Field Placement”., Anya Y. Spector, Krimili Infante

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Community college students’ experiences with Evidence Based Practice (EBP) in the field placement are not well understood, despite the importance of EBP for students’ future social work academic training and job performance. This longitudinal, qualitative, exploratory study examines journal entries of second year community college students at two time points, in the beginning and at the end of the field placement, where students reveal the types of EBP skills and experiences that they engage, as well as their perceptions of their experiences along the way. This study helps to shed light on the experiences with specific interventions and practices that …

Consequences Of Self-Interested Behavior: Pedagogical Questions And Dilemmas Relating To Cases Of A Closed Adoption And A Regional Landfill Proposal, J Forbes Farmer

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Abstract

The motive of self-interest is the driving factor behind many situations faced by those who have chosen the human services profession. In this article, the author provides two of his own fact-based human service cases (one involving case work and the psychological needs related to a closed adoption and one about community organization and advocacy related to a proposed regional landfill) that can be studied and debated in social work classes. The cases reflect the double identity of contemporary social work. The questions after each case require the students to reflect on and talk about the ramifications of self-interested …

Involuntary Termination From Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Unknown Phantoms, Red Flags, And Unexplained Medical Data, Izaak L. Williams

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

In the United States, all treatment programs receiving public funds are required by law to regularly submit admission and discharge data, inclusive of the forced/involuntary termination or administrative discharge of clients, to their local state authorities. In some states, this requirement even extends to programs not receiving public funds. The aim of collecting discharge data—collected under the auspices of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association [SAMHSA]—is to assist state and county authorities, funders, and accreditors to monitor recovery-focused program performance. However, investigation here undertaken shows that published discharge data from many state treatment settings are perennially and grossly …

Lifestyles, Income, Health Factors, And Life Satisfaction Of Older Hispanic Adults, Gina Fe G. Causin Ph.D., Hyunsook Kang Ph.D., Mary S. Olle Ph.D.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

The aim of this study was to explore to what extent life styles, income, and health factors contribute to the life satisfaction of Hispanic older adults. A secondary data analysis from a national survey of Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (HEPESE) (Markides, Ray, Angel, & Espino, 2012) was used. Subjects were Hispanic older adults (over 75 years, n = 1542). For this study, Hispanics and Latinos were considered as one and the same. A two-step hierarchical regression was conducted to address the research question. The results showed health status and income were unique predictors in …

Trauma-Focused Interventions: A Clinical Practice Analysis, Jose Carbajal

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a systematic review of trauma-treatment interventions, which have different theoretical perspectives on trauma etiology and its application. The empirical findings of these trauma treatment therapies are presented. The extant literature identifies five therapies as the most-effective treatment modalities for PTSD: cognitive therapy (CT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure (PE) therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. They are all validated with some nuances on treatment approach and effectiveness. However, to use these five interventions, practitioners need to consider and apply the research findings that indicate which intervention is best for which …

Integrating Mindfulness Into The Training Of Helping Professionals, Christina Tortolani Ph.D., Kristin Malatino Ph.D., Elizabeth G. Holtzman Ph.D., Prachi Kene Ph.D., Kalina M. Brabeck Ph.D., Christine Kunkel Ph.D.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Mindfulness refers to the purposeful and nonjudgmental focus on internal and external experiences in the present moment. Extensive research in the fields of psychology, medicine, and counseling has explored the use and benefits of mindfulness-based practice in general. Such research has determined that mindfulness enhances skill development and counselor preparation within the human service professions. Therapeutic and educational settings have thus increasingly embraced mindfulness practices. This exploratory paper posits that the study and practice of mindfulness can be beneficial for both faculty and graduate students in the fields of Mental Health, School Counseling, and School Psychology. The aims of this …

Collaborative Documentation For Behavioral Healthcare Providers: An Emerging Practice, Suzanne Maniss Ph.D., Lcdc, Ncc, Amanda G. Pruit Lpc

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This article considers the practice of collaborative documentation (CD) for behavioral healthcare providers; the legislative, technological, and philosophical milieu in which it developed; the attributed benefits for providers and clients; and the peer-reviewed research supporting its use. Collaborative documentation has emerged following significant legislative and technological changes in healthcare delivery and shifts toward client-centered healthcare practices including more shared decision-making between clients and practitioners.

Practice-Based Conundrums And Existentialist Quandaries Of A Professional Code Of Ethics, Izaak L. Williams

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Ethical codes have long been considered indispensable tools in defining the proper conduct of counseling professionals. Revisions reflect the ideals of the industry to accommodate the evolving needs of clients and trends in treatment models, but the essence of the code is to convert principles befitting of the profession into concrete actions or considerations that abet professional decision-making. Acculturation into the profession involves ethics training intended to improve professionals’ ability to apply the code to situations that might arise in their practices, resulting in the most ethically appropriate action. However, such assumptions may be problematic. The idea of ethical competency …