Counseling Commons^™

A Phenomenological, Arts-Based Study Of Art Therapists’ Self-Reflective Practice, Laurie Ponsford-Hill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This phenomenological, arts-based study examined the experiences of 15 art therapists using five-minute, full-bodied self-portraiture with 55 minutes of self-reflective journaling once a week for four weeks at the end of each work week. The therapists determined the location for this practice. Subsequently, the four artworks, as a serial, were explored with each participant in a one-hour telephone or Skype interview to understand their lived experience through art, and its signs, and symbols. This process enabled the therapists to act as witness to their respective self/selves, deepening their insights and connections about self. The transcribed audio-taped interviews were manually coded …

Using Genograms To Explore Transgenerational Trauma And Racism In African American Couples, Hollie F. Campbell

All Capstone Projects

Despite a significant amount of literature on genograms in the ERIC, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX with full-text databases, only a handful of articles and book chapters address using genograms with African Americans. Of the articles that were found on the clinical application of the genogram as a counseling technique with African American couples, three provided a specific set of interview questions for the construction of a genogram, but did not explore the effects of transgenerational trauma and racism on these couples. Using a modified Delphi technique, the researcher solicited input from a panel of experts who developed and then assessed a …

Counselor Educators‘ Lgbt(Q) Social Attitudes: An Association With Critical Consciousness, Reiko Miyakuni

All Capstone Projects

LGBTQ individuals are at a higher risk for mental health problems and have a greater need for mental health related services than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, due to discrimination, harassment, and violence, and yet they continue to face discrimination in mental health care settings. Furthermore, the lack of LGBTQ counseling competency continues to be documented. Counselor educators play a critical role in shaping students’ attitudes toward LGBTQ persons; however, their social attitudes towards LGBTQ identities and LGBTQ equality remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of LGBT social attitudes of counselor educators who teach …

Beyond The Pink Ribbon: An Exploration Of The Experience Of Self-Compassion In Western Australian Women Survivors Of Breast Cancer, Helen Wilson

Theses

Using a phenomenological lens this qualitative study explored the experience of self-compassion in self and other relating in Western Australian women breast cancer survivors (BCS). A purposive sample of 17 participants were drawn from women aged between 35 and 70 years of age who had completed treatment for primary breast cancer and had been disease-free for a minimum period of 12 months.

Participants were asked to take part in an in-depth semi-structured interview.

Additionally, eight participants interviewed engaged in three, one-hour Opening to

Self-Compassion sessions and three, four-hour sessions (12-hours in total) of a

Personal Reflection Program.

Data was …

Student Involvement: A Comparative Study Of Eastern Michigan University And Oxford-Brookes University, Meaghan Lynch

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Through a comparative analysis of Eastern Michigan University and Oxford-Brookes University, it has been determined that despite being similar in size and reputability, student organizations look significantly different. The researcher determined a strong first step in discussing why the two universities have such differing approaches to student involvement would be to investigate the value found in extra-curricular participation for students that occur in both countries. The researcher explored this difference and discusses what each institution could learn from the other and continue to grow and develop their extracurricular programs.

A Narrative Study Of Black Males Sense Of Belonging In Graduate Counseling Programs, Justin Adams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative study was to understand the experiences of Black males in doctoral counselor education programs. The study aimed to build a dialogue based on participant’s experiences growing up as Black males, and how they experienced sense of belonging in their counselor education programs. This narrative study utilized a purposive and homogenous sampling selection. Black males who were selected to participate in this study attended Predominantly White Institutions and were in the process of earning their doctoral degrees in counselor education. Each male was a full-time student, in either their second, third or fourth year of their …

The Effect Of A Single-Session Group Songwriting Intervention On Grief Processing In Hospice Clinicians, Melissa Deaton

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a single-session group music therapy songwriting session on grief processing in hospice clinicians. The study design was quasi-experimental. Participants were cluster randomized into a control group and a treatment group. The researcher led a 50-minute songwriting session focused on sharing and processing experiences of grief-related stress and burnout in hospice work. Grief processing was measured using a self-report survey for n=25. Overall differences between control and treatment groups were not found to be statistically significant. Significant differences were also not found in treatment score differences for type of …

Desistance From Crime Of Serious Juvenile Offenders: Examining The Social And Individual Differences, Lisa Dunkley

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

There is an overrepresentation of youths with disabilities in the juvenile justice system. As a result, each year thousands of juvenile offenders despite of the seriousness of the crimes committed, are released from incarceration with the hopes of living a successful life in society. Despite progressive research on identifying factors associated with desistance, it is still unclear what factors contribute to desistance for serious juvenile offenders and especially those with disabilities. The current study investigated the individual differences (e.g., moral disengagement, motivation to succeed and impulse control) and social factors (e.g., employment, education and maternal warmth) that are important in …

Using The International Classification Of Functioning, Disability, And Health To Predict Participation In Adults With Parkinson’S Disease: The Role Of Positive Psychological Capital, Brad Wayne Mcdaniels

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Participation is generally considered the ultimate rehabilitation outcome and, for individuals with progressive illnesses, elucidating the factors that impact participation is critical. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic degenerative, neurological condition affecting nearly 1 million people in the United States, making PD the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. PD has a profound negative effect on functioning and activity, but limited literature exists assessing the relationship between PD and community participation. The purpose of this study was to use the World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) as a framework for explaining how PD affects participation. …

Development And Validation Of The College Mental Health Perceived Competency Scale, Michael T. Kalkbrenner, Christopher A. Sink

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

College counselors provide training to their campus constituents on various mental health issues, including the identification of warning signs and the referral of students to appropriate resources. Though extensive information on these topics is available in the counseling literature, college counselors lack a psychometrically sound screening instrument to support some of these educational efforts. To meet this need, the present researchers developed and validated the College Mental Health Perceived Competency Scale (CMHPCS). Based largely on self-determination theory, the measure appraises college student and faculty members’ perceived competence for supporting student mental health. Reliability and construct validity of the CMHPCS are …

Resilience And Disability: Consideration And Integration Of Resilience Training In Undergraduate Rehabilitation Service Programs, Susan Stuntzner, Jacquelyn A. Dalton, Veronica Umeasiegbu, Angela Macdonald, Fidencio Mercado

Counseling Faculty Publications

Resilience is a topic of growing interest with significant momentum generated by the Positive Psychology Movement. While resilience has been discussed at the graduate level and beyond, few articles seem to openly discuss how it is addressed as a part of undergraduate rehabilitation service programs. Discussion and careful consideration is needed as many undergraduates work in direct services. This article is designed to help rehabilitation educators and professionals understand the application and value of resilience and resilience-based skills as a part of the undergraduate rehabilitation curriculum. Article content addresses resilience, benefits of resilience, resilience-based factors, and the applicability of resilience …

Evaluation Of The Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) With Latinx College Students, Javier Cavazos Vela, Yvette Hinojosa, Mehmet A. Karaman

Counseling Faculty Publications

In the current study, the psychometric properties of a measure of psychological grit among 344 Latinx college students was investigated. Researchers used confirmatory factor analysis to validate a previously identified two-factor model of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S). Internal consistency was acceptable as measured by coefficient alpha. A two-factor model of Grit-S had a good model fit with the data. A discussion regarding the importance of these findings is provided and implications for counselors and researchers are offered.

Examining The Impact Of A Positive Psychology Intervention With Latina Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Eunice Lerma, Autumn Wright, James Ikonomopoulos, Yvette Hinojosa, Javier Cavazos Vela

Counseling Faculty Publications

We implemented a small series (N = 3) single-case research design to assess the effectiveness of a nine-session positive psychology treatment program for Latina survivors of intimate partner violence. Analysis of participants’ scores on life satisfaction and depression scales using the percentage of non-overlapping data point’s procedure yielded treatment effects indicating that a positive psychology treatment program may be effective for improving life satisfaction for Latina survivors of intimate partner violence. Implications for counselors and researchers are provided.

Change Your Story Change Your Brain By Dr. Linda Miles (Review), Susan Stuntzner

Counseling Faculty Publications

Professionals interested in learning mindfulness and ways to practice it in their life or with the people they serve may find the book, “Change Your Story Change Your Brain” of value. Collectively, the book is composed of four sections pertaining to mindfulness: Mindfulness as a Survival Strategy, The Mindfulness Mentality, Mindfulness as the Road to Recovery, and Mindfulness as a Path of Self-Discovery. Within each section are three to four chapters. Each chapter covers a different concept related to mindfulness and is approached according to a specific format which includes an illustration of the NOW approach (i.e. Notice, Opportunities and …

Collaborative Documentation For Behavioral Healthcare Providers: An Emerging Practice, Suzanne Maniss, Amanda G. Pruit

Counseling Faculty Publications

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.

Aging Well: How Subjective Age, Playfulness, And Depression Influence Quality Of Life Among Older Adults, Yvette Saliba El Habre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given the growing population of aging adults, there is a need for research examining factors that enhance quality of life for older adults (QoL; Colby & Ortman, 2014). Changes in health, relationships, support systems, and social identity are inevitable throughout the lifespan. Therefore, research focused on lessening the negative effects of changes due to aging while also improving QoL is warranted. As such, the aim of the current research study was to examine the extent to which subjective age (SA; how old or young an individual feels), playfulness (PF; "the ability to frame or reframe everyday situations to experience them …

Alabama Cacrep And Non-Cacrep Graduate Students' Perceptions Of Readiness To Counsel Clients With Substance Use Disorders, Keli M. Brothers

Counselor Education

A quantitative survey study was conducted to assess counselor perceptions of competence to counsel clients with substance use disorders based on educational experiences. The 31 participants included counseling graduates from two North Alabama universities, one with Council for Accrediting of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) certification and one without, and Alabama members of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. There were no significant differences found in perceptions of competence to counsel between CACREP and non-CACREP certified graduates. However, a positive correlation was found between participants’ understanding of addiction and perceptions of readiness to counsel clients with substance use disorders.

Factorial Validity Of Teacher And School Counselor Support Scales In Latina/O Students, Mehmet A. Karaman, Javier Cavazos Vela, Ming-Tsan Lu

Counseling Faculty Publications

In the current study, we investigated the psychometric properties of two meaningful measures of support from teachers and school counselors among Latina/o students. Examining factorial stability with diverse populations is important to make sure that measures provide valid information about constructs of teacher or counselor support. While researchers have provided evidence of reliability (i.e., consistency), no study has examined validity (e.g., accuracy) of Teacher Support Scale Revised (TSSR) with Latina/o students. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses (CFA and EFA) methods were used to evaluate structural validity of the TSSR and School Counselor Support Scale (SCSS). Two different models of the …

Once A Felon….Always A Felon? A Comparative Case Study Of The Experiences Of Convicted African-American Fathers, Douglas Bates

Theses and Dissertations

Currently, African-Americans account for 12.3% of the U.S. population but represent 38% of the prison population (The Sentencing Project, 2016). Of the many African-American males sent to prison each year, there is limited research that explores the impact a conviction has on African-American fathers. Within the literature, researchers (Laakso & Nygaard, 2012; Miller, et. al., 2013, Flouri & Buchanan, 2002; Lee, Sansone, Swanson, & Tatum, 2012; Johnson & Easterling, 2015; Miller, 2006; Lopez & Bhat, 2007; Aaron & Dallaire, 2009) only focus on the effect incarceration has on children and the experiences of fathers while incarcerated (Roy & Dyson, 2005; …

Whom Should I Talk To? Emerging Adults’ Romantic Relationship Work, Jakob Jensen, Amy Rauer, Yuliana Rodriguez, Andrew Brimhall

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This exploratory study examined how often young adults discussed their romantic relationship problems with their social networks: partners, friends, mothers, and fathers (“relationship work” or RW). Using a sample of 82 heterosexual, romantically involved young adults, we found that participants engaged in RW most frequently with partners, followed by friends and mothers, and least with fathers. Suggesting that young adults vary in their disclosure patterns, cluster analyses revealed three groups: disclosers, who shared romantic challenges with all parties examined; selectives, who primarily discussed romantic problems with partners and mothers; and discretes, who engaged in low RW overall. Although RW with …

Perceptions Of Grief Education In Accredited Counseling Programs: Recommendations For Counselor Education, Jane E. Hill, Richard J. Cicchetti, Shelley A. Jackson, Gary Szirony

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

As grief can be considered a critical life event, unresolved grief can interfere with quality of life, affecting lifestyle, behavior, emotional strength, and cognitive function. Unresolved grief can even result in suicidal ideation. Counselors can and often do work with grief issues in clients and can promote positive outcomes for grieving clients by addressing personal loss and helping clients process grief related issues. This study was based on an analysis of students within counseling programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs based on earlier research conducted by one of the authors. Self-perception of competency …

From Invisible To Visible: Exploring Invisibility Syndrome And Coping Among African American Men, Jesha Jones, Stacey Lawson

Graduate Research Posters

INTRODUCTION: African American men may experience feelings of invisibility when maneuvering throughout the public education system. Encounters with alienation, discrimination, and prejudice play a major role in influencing one’s decision to remain in school or dropout. Examining the extent to which the invisibility syndrome manifests in African American men during their K-12 experiences can expand knowledge in understanding their feelings of worthlessness and insignificance in the classroom. METHOD: This research investigated the degree to which invisibility syndrome manifested in retrospective accounts in the K-12 experiences of African American collegiate men. Analysis aim to identify how coping mechanisms can …

The Impact Of A Neurofeedback Training Intervention On College Students' Levels Of Anxiety, Stress, Depression, And Cortisol, Caitlyn Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety, depression, and stress are three of the most common experiences that impact college student functioning and academic achievement. At least one in six college students struggle with anxiety, increasing risk for developing depressive symptoms or disorders that further impact wellness. However, as mental health concerns increase across campuses, universities are not equipped to meet the demand of mental health support for college students. Neurofeedback (NF) training presents as an innovative intervention to treat anxiety, depression, and stress as it is designed to regulate brain processes in an effort to increase more effective brain functioning. A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group …

Opioid Use Disorder: The Ugly Return And Treatment Effectiveness Of Heroin Use, Antwana L. Drayton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Relationships among demographic, socioeconomic and person factors and Opioid Use Disorder diagnosis, treatment, and recidivism were explored. Data from a sample of 4,860 adults with substance use difficulties were analyzed. A program evaluation was conducted on Gateway Community Services to explore the use of Medication Assisted Treatments (MATs) and Psychosocial (PS) treatments to address Opioid Use Disorder. Using archival data, a chi-square analysis and independent sample t-test was performed. The results expressed that a relationship among race, type of substance use diagnosis, and treatment type and recidivism rate was found. While White/Non-Hispanics adults were more likely to use heroin than …

Identifying Barriers To Attendance In Counseling Among Adults In The United States: Confirming The Factor Structure Of The Revised Fit, Stigma, & Value Scale, Michael T. Kalkbrenner, Edward S. Neukrug

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

The primary aim of this study was to cross-validate the Revised Fit, Stigma, & Value (FSV) Scale, a questionnaire for measuring barriers to counseling, using a stratified random sample of adults in the United States. Researchers also investigated the percentage of adults living in the United States that had previously attended counseling and examined demographic differences in participants’ sensitivity to barriers to counseling. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis supported the factorial validity of the three-dimensional FSV model. Results also revealed that close to one-third of adults in the United States have attended counseling, with women attending counseling at …

Human Services Identity Development: Exploration Of Student Perceptions, Narketta Sparkman-Key, Anthony J. Vajda, Ne'shaun J. Borden

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Helping students to develop a strong professional identity is an essential function of human services education. The literature on professional identity development shows that new professionals have long term success when they feel connected to the profession and are competent in their ability to perform their assigned roles and duties. Although there is a large body of literature related to professional identity development, there are gaps in the literature related to professional identity development among human services professionals. This qualitative study used an exploratory grounded theory approach to learn about professional identity development of senior human services students from a …

Assessing The Strengths And Difficulties Of Typically Developing Siblings Of Persons Born With Lifelong Disabilities, Joseph Joseph Wofford

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, strengths and difficulties of siblings of persons born with disabilities were quantitatively assessed, based on parental perception, in comparison to national norms. Answers of 148 parents to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997; Youthinmind, n.d.a.) for children four to seven years old who are siblings of persons born with lifelong disabilities (SPBDs) were gathered and analyzed. The causal-comparative design compared each subscale of the SDQ for SBPDs against their respective norms in the USA for females or males. SPBDs were found to have no statistically significant difference from the norm group on emotional problems, and …

Measuring The Effects Of A Mindfulness Intervention On Counselors’-In-Training Dispositions, Strength Of The Therapeutic Relationship, And Client Outcomes, Therese Louise Newton

Theses and Dissertations

Using a multiple baseline single case research design, the present study sought to measure the effects of a mindfulness intervention on counselors’-in-training facilitative dispositions of: (a) empathetic understanding, (b) level of regard, (c) unconditionality of regard, and (d) congruence (as observed through weekly in-session engagement with clients), and client outcomes (as measured by the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II; [Robitschek et al., 2012] and the Outcomes Questionnaire-45.2; [Lambert et al., 1996]). In addition, the investigation examined the influence of counselors-in-training participation in a brief mindfulness intervention on clients’ perception of the strength of the therapeutic alliance (as measured by the Barrett-Lennard …