Counseling Commons^™

An Alcohol Questionnaire And Referral Tool For Baptist Churches, Rita D. Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Alcohol addiction is a pervasive ill within our society with detrimental bio-psycho-social outcomes. Unfortunately, the Baptist churches or more specifically those churches who are members of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGVA) are not immune to seeing the devastation of this disease, including the spiritual impact. Pastors may find themselves in the role of “first responder” unprepared to fully address this issue. This study explored, through a web-based questionnaire, how those churches associated with the BGVA are currently addressing alcoholism and if pastors would find a referral tool helpful to connect members with professional therapists. It is widely accepted …

How To Make School-Based Mental Health Work, Jenny Wilhoite

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This session is designed to give an overview of how to create a School-Based Mental Health program that benefits students on all tiers, providing universal prevention, early intervention, and intensive services for at-risk students. Meeting the unmet needs of students with mental health challenges impacts student attendance, behavioral and academic outcomes, and discipline in a positive way.

Using Service-Learning To Promote Social Justice Advocacy And Cognitive Development During Internship, Kristi A. Lee, Charles R. Mcadams Iii

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Little empirical research has examined how to effectively prepare counseling students as social justice advocates. In a quasi-experimental design, a service-learning intervention was used in community counseling internship to promote students’ social justice advocacy competency as well as cognitive development, including moral and intellectual development. Findings demonstrated a significant increase in social justice advocacy competency in both the experimental and control groups at the end of one quarter of community counseling internship. In addition, the experimental group had significantly higher scores on the Public Information advocacy domain sub-scale of the Advocacy Competency Self-Assessment Survey. Teaching strategies such as service-learning may …

Counselor Professional Identity Development: Narratives From A Professional Event, Jenny L. Cureton, Hannah Davis, Victoria Giegerich

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The goal of a one-day professional event was to enhance counselor professional identity (CPI) development through a panel discussion on CPI, professional and career information in sessions and booths, and networking breaks to connect Master’s students, doctoral students, and counseling professionals. Narrative analysis of eight interviews with event attendees, event leaders, and event speakers (i.e., practicing counselors) revealed themes of commitment, community, defining my professional self, and ambiguity and affirmation. Implications for best practices in CPI development and future research are discussed.

Community Uprising: Counseling Interventions, Educational Strategies, And Advocacy Tools, Katherine M. Hermann-Turner, Karena J. Heyward, Carrie Lynn Bailey

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Ferguson riots, Baltimore uprising, marches on the White House… how can counselor educators incorporate crisis intervention training into curriculums, implement measures to prevent public unrest, and increase community resilience to avoid the violent repercussions of racial tensions? This article explores common precursors to racially charged unrest and provides a model for innovative counseling interventions, curriculum development, and advocacy based on the American Counseling Association (ACA) Disaster Impact and Recovery Model (2009). In addition, the authors provide specific course-based discussion questions to use as tools to foster perspective taking and increased understanding among student and practitioners.

Book Review - The Latino American: Psychodynamic Perspectives On Culture And Mental Health Issues, Susan Stuntzner

Counseling Faculty Publications

Understanding and working with culturally diverse populations is an important component of counseling and allied helping professions. Many professionals receive some training as a part of their graduate programs on multiculturalism, but this is only the beginning and typically scratches the surface. From this point, professionals are expected to continue their awareness and learning about the needs and issues of the people they serve; for some this includes expanding their understanding of ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse individuals. Professionals wanting to better understand the experience, perspectives, and mental health concerns of Latino Americans may find this edited book informative and …

Further Validation Of The Consultation Skills Scale (Css): Relationships Between Consultation Skills, Supervisory Working Alliance, And Interprofessional Collaboration, Gulsah Kemer, Jeffry Moe, Kaprea F. Johnson, Emily Goodman-Scott, Zahide Sunal, Chi Li

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to obtain validity support for the Consultation Skills Scale (CSS) in a sample of 369 counseling professionals and interns. Upon obtaining a poor model fit from an initial CFA, we utilized modification indices and removed nine items from the CSS. As a result, we achieved a better model fit for the shorter 8-item instrument (CSS-S). To further examine validity of the CSS-S, we also explored the relationships between counselors' consultation skills and two related professional activities, ability to foster supervisory working alliance and ability to engage in interprofessional collaboration. We discuss the results …

Stigma, Attitudes, And Intentions To Seek Mental Health Services In College Student-Athletes, Robert C. Hilliard M.S.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous researchers have found several factors that act as barriers to college student-athletes seeking mental health services (López & Levy, 2013; Moore, 2017). One common factor throughout these studies is stigma, which is known to be associated with less favorable attitudes toward seeking help (Moreland et al., 2018). However, researchers have not explored how stigma and attitudes might influence intentions to seek counseling and actual help-seeking behaviors in student-athletes. Additionally, there is a dearth of research identifying the topics for which student-athletes are most willing to seek help. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to investigate predictors of mental …

A Sociopolitical View Of Mental Health: An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Policymakers Regarding Their Perspectives Surrounding Mental Health Policy Construction, Katie C. Fetzer

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A substantial gap exists between those who are considered experts on mental health (e.g., academics, mental health professionals) and those in charge of constructing mental health policies (e.g., legislators, Senators). This gap is in areas of both knowledge and professional relations. Mental health professionals are not adequately trained to engage in policy advocacy and reform efforts and have little to no policy advocacy training (Smith, Reynolds, & Rovnak, 2009). Policymakers lack necessary knowledge related to mental health for effective mental health policy construction (Corrigan, Druss, & Perlick, 2014; Lee, Smith, & Henry, 2013). As a result of this gap, mental …

A Multicase Study Exploring Women’S Narratives Of Infertility: Implications For Counselors, Staci L. Born, Christin L. Carotta, Kristine Ramsay-Seaner

The Qualitative Report

Infertility affects 6.7 million women in the United States (Chandra, Copen, & Stephen, 2013). Women’s experiences with infertility are not only influenced by biological health factors, but also by social, cultural, and personal variables. Given the prevalence and complexity of infertility, additional research is needed to further examine the nuances of women’s experiences. The purpose of this multicase study, as informed by four individual cases, was to explore how women construct their infertility narratives. Review of reflective journals found five common elements: (1) Emotional Rollercoaster, (2) Mind-Body (Dis)Connection, (3) Secret Identity, (4) Supportive vs. Constrained Communication Patterns, and (5) Fatalistic- …

Health And Wellness Factors Affecting The Wholistic Lifestyle Of National And International Christian Missionaries, Angela C. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis will focus on the health and wellness of missionaries and will develop a wholistic framework for healthier living. This framework will be used as a guide to help sustain missionaries living in various cultural contexts by connecting and integrating the mind, body, and spirit in harmony for wholistic lifestyle. God intended for His people to live a healthy lifestyle and to take care of their temples. Missionaries are the backbone of cross-cultural evangelism, but they often find themselves living unhealthy lifestyles. These unhealthy lifestyles can have a negative impact on missionaries’ overall health, wellness, and fruitfulness in serving …

Language & Online Learning: Inform, Inspire And Engage Virtual Learning Communities, Linda Foster, Anita Neuer Colburn, Cynthia Briggs

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Standards for technology-assisted teaching/learning have existed for nearly 20 years (ACES, 1999), and trends show that counselor education programs increasingly integrate technology into the delivery of instruction for students either through hybrid classes, fully online classes, or fully online programs. While many researchers have investigated various aspects of student engagement in online formats, counselor educators still lack consensus for best practices in the online classroom. Maximizing the effectiveness of online pedagogy will help improve overall learning, retention of students, and growth of online programs. We suggest the intentional use of appropriate, warm, inviting and supportive language to inform, inspire and …

Research Mentoring: A Study Of Doctoral Student Experiences And Research Productivity, Alyse M. Anekstein, Linwood G. Vereen

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This article explored the research mentoring experiences of doctoral students’ (N = 131) in counselor education. Descriptive statistics and a factorial Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were utilized to ascertain the mentor roles utilized and the classification of productivity of doctoral students. Recommendations and limitations and implications for the counseling profession are offered to further the development of research regarding the research mentoring experiences of doctoral students.

Why Should We Care? Psychodynamic Theory And Practice In Counselor Preparation, Elyssa Smith

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Abstract

This constructivist grounded theory investigation explored the experiences and perceptions of seven counselors-in-training regarding psychodynamic theory and practice. Two categories, five themes including three subthemes, and a tentative theory which spoke to the experiences, perceptions, and attitudes of students regarding contemporary psychodynamic psychotherapy emerged. Implications for counselor education and the training of counselors are discussed.

Keywords: counselor preparation, psychodynamic, reflective practice

Cognitive Complexity In Counseling And Counselor Education: A Systematic And Critical Review, Jaime H. Castillo

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Cognitive complexity has found a small yet established niche in the counseling and counselor education literature over the last 40 years. This body of research has highlighted how individuals with high cognitive complexity have greater consistency in empathy, show more varied responses to clients, demonstrate greater toleration of ambiguity, and show higher frequencies of unbiased clinical judgements towards clients. This article provides a systematic and critical review of the cognitive complexity literature and discusses future implications of cultivating cognitive complexity in emerging and professional counselors and supervisors.

A Phenomenology Of The Practice Of Music Therapy With Children, Shelby Tortorello

Senior Honors Theses

Music therapy has been demonstrated as an effective mode of therapeutic intervention for children in recent literature. There is extensive research suggesting benefits for various populations of children, namely: children in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), children who have experienced trauma, and children with disabilities. The current study served to address gaps found in the literature by conducting a phenomenology of professionally trained music therapists. Four board certified music therapists near major cities on the east coast were interviewed to comment on how they understand music therapy, and how they live out those understandings in their practice. It was …

The Use Of Test Anxiety Assessment And Anxiety Reduction Training To Predict And Improve Performance Of Collegiate Pilot Trainees, Teresa Ann Sloan, Michael Lundin, Dale Wilson, Randy Robinnette

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

Written, oral, and practical flight tests, along with challenging flying tasks, place pilot trainees in stressful situations. The initial goals of this research were to determine assessment tools for identifying pilot trainees who might perform poorly in stressful flight testing environments, and measure the efficacy of a test anxiety (TA) workshop on anxiety levels and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) knowledge assessments of pilot trainees. The researchers determined that: Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores marginally predict facilitating anxiety levels, and FAA knowledge tests, taken in authentic testing environments, correlate significantly with debilitating anxiety, facilitating anxiety, and FAA exam scores. The researchers …

A Place To Belong: A Support Group Curriculum For Hearing Adolescents Of Deaf Parents (Kodas), Meghan L. Fox

JADARA

Hearing children of deaf parents (C/Kodas) comprise a unique group that carries experiences as interpreters, protectors, and advocates. Kodas also have distinct experiences family dynamics and are bilingual and bicultural. Consequently, Kodas have complex identities and related identity development processes with few places to find support. There is a need for culturally sensitive and informed programs to create spaces for Kodas to process complexities and connect with others similar to them. This manuscript focuses on presenting an original research-informed support group program (Kids of Deaf Adults: A Place to Belong) for adolescent Kodas.

Ethical Dilemmas? Are You Appropriately Following The 2014 Aca Code Of Ethics?, Patti Hinkley

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This session will review the changes made in the 2014 Code of Ethics. The presentation will cover the background to the changes made in 2014 along with pointing out the specific changes made for both counselors as well as counselor educators. The presenter was trained at the 2018 ACA Conference to provide presentations or workshops on the Code of Ethics.

The Opioid Crisis: What Counselors Need To Know, David Jenkins, Jonna Byars

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The opioid epidemic has been declared a national emergency that resulted in nearly 50,000 opioid overdose deaths last year alone. Counselors can and should be meaningfully involved in response. This session will present current information about the opioid crisis and the addictive process generally, and then specifically focus on opioid addiction, treatment and recovery. The session will explore how counselors can effectively respond to clients who use opioids, including for pain management, and how education, prevention, and treatment are important ways counselors can respond to the opioid crisis.

Approaching Grief Counseling From A Perspective Of Diversity, Deborah A. Braboy

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding how society, race, culture, age, and developmental levels impact grief is key to being able to process grief and loss in a healthy manner. Contemporary grief models give clinicians a roadmap to assist them as they walk with their clients through their grief journey

Addressing Crisis In K-12 Schools, Rita Cantrell Schellenberg, Richard Justin Silvey, Kerry Bowles

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The session will provide research-supported information needed to identify and respond appropriately to the needs of minors in crisis situations prevailing in our schools today such as self-harm (including eating disorders), suicide, and homicide ideation. Case studies will engage participants in interactive discussions that include ethical, legal, cultural, and professional aspects of decision making.

Using Hofstede’S Axes Of Cultural Values As A New Way Of Understanding Culturally Diverse Clients, Jerry Vuncannon, Angelia Dickens

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Today’s multicultural focus utilizes many prescriptive approaches based on cultural groups and client preferences. However, these approaches may not account for individual differences within these groups. This presentation will introduce Hofstede’s Axes of Cultural Values which empower therapists, supervisors, and educators to understand culturally diverse clients in a new way

Courageous Conversations: Cultural Humility - Being Comfortable With The Uncomfortable, Arleezah Marrah, Brandi Janee' Chamberlin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This round table discussion will be a courageous conversation for counselors, counselor educators, site supervisors, and graduate students. How can we be comfortable having uncomfortable conversations? This round table will explore the topic of cultural humility in the counseling relationship.

Technology, Counseling, And The Autism Spectrum: Using Tech To Promote Growth And Healing With Autism Spectrum Clients, Kevin Boyd Hull

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autism spectrum clients in counseling are challenging due to limitations in perspective taking as well as emotional/cognitive delays. Many autism spectrum clients use technology as a way to feel safe and relate to the world around them. Computer/tablet/video games have rich metaphors and themes that can help these young people understand themselves and the world around them and can be used to enhance self-representation and social, emotional, and cognitive growth.

Integrating Motivational Interviewing Into Counseling Techniques And The Helping Relationship, Karin Mcpeak Dumont

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This program will provide a demonstration of how to integrate Motivational Interviewing techniques into the use of the helping Skills of active listening, paraphrasing, reflection of feelings, reflection of meaning, and summarizing. Through the use of both didactic and experiential learning, attendees will apply these techniques effectively in the process of counseling

Successful College Transition: Supporting Students With Learning Differences, Laura Daniel

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this presentation is to provide information on support strategies to ensure high school seniors with diagnosed learning differences have a successful transition to the college setting. Information will include helping students to secure academic and mental health support, and ways to advocate for students beyond high school.

To Publish Or Perish: What Faculty Need To Know About Scholarly Activity, Brandi Janee' Chamberlin, Jeffrey Boatner, David Brown, Nivischi Edwards, Kevin Boyd Hull, Robyn Simmons, Kevin Van Wynsberg

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This session will feature a panel presentation to include Counselor Education and Family Studies leadership, published faculty, and counseling journal editorial board members. The topic will be on the expectations for faculty and tips for successful (unsuccessful) manuscript submissions

Collaborative, Creative, And Diversity Celebrating Case Conceptualization: Working With Counselees To Map The Journey Ahead, Lisa S. Sosin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Comprehensive assessment and treatment planning are the foundation of ethical and effective counseling (Sperry, 2012) and require sensitivity to counselee’s personal and cultural contexts (ACA Code of Ethics, 2014). In this presentation, attendees learn a creative way to conceptualize and plan the therapeutic journey that is collaborative and richly meaningful.

Collaborative Care: Coordinating Services With Community Partners To Promote Client Wellness, Holly Johnson, Jeffrey Boatner

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research reveals that extra-therapeutic factors can contribute significantly to the wellness and stability of clients. Yet, many counselors have little experience or training in linking clients with supportive services in their community. This presentation provides attendees with information and strategies to promote a collaborative, multi-culturally sensitive approach to client wellness.