Counseling Commons^™

No More Secrets: Talking With Children And Young Adults About Pornography, Brad Hinman

Faculty Publications

This article provides an overview of the patterns, risk factors, and consequences of Internet pornography addiction and discusses appropriate personal and institutional responses, including discussing pornography with children at a young age in combination with other sexual and health topic. Christians are at higher risk for Internet pornography addictions than other groups, so addressing these issues with our children is particularly important. The article provides resources for ensuring student safety online, preventing online victimization, and learning more about Internet pornography addiction.

Deaf Seniors: Experiencing Oppression, Audrey K. Frank Ph.D.

JADARA

The article was written because of the huge need to collect data on oppression experienced by deaf seniors. Open-ended responses were collected from 91 participants aged 50 years and older from five states in the areas of health care, lack of communication with family members, neighborhood, workplace, and hearing children taking over their deaf parents’ role. In the health care field and workplace, deaf seniors had experienced oppression when they did not have the full communication accessibility. There was a lack of awareness of understanding how to make it fully communication-accessible through interpreters and technology and also, the implications of …

Drinking From A Firehose: Conversation Analysis Of Consultations In A Brief Advice Clinic, Linda F. Smith

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

This article concerns the important issues of access to justice and practical lawyering skills. Clients are representing themselves in family law matters in ever increasing numbers. Courts, bar groups, nonprofits and law schools have responded by offering “brief advice” clinics. How well these clinics operate can significantly influence the public’s access to justice. This article analyses actual consultations in a brief advice clinic relying upon transcriptions of recordings and using conversation analysis techniques. This analysis demonstrates that the matters brought to the clinic are not “simple” ones where legal representation is not needed. These clients are facing serious problems from …

Disability And Forgiveness: An Intervention To Promote Positive Coping For Persons With Disabilities, Susan Stuntzner, Angela Macdonald

Counseling Faculty Publications

Disability is an event that forever changes a person's life. Throughout the coping and adaptation process, many experience negative thoughts and feelings such as anger, anxiety, depression, and multiple forms of frustration. Some of these may be related to a disability, while others are by-products of the negative experiences, attitudes, and treatment of persons with disabilities. These include societal barriers and injustices and changes and losses that often accompany a disability. Counseling professionals can assist persons with disabilities in learning to improve their coping process by learning about approaches and, in this case, interventions to help promote healing and positive …

Professional Counseling's Alignment With The Core Competencies For Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, Kaprea F. Johnson, Miranda Mj Parries

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Previous findings show that there is a misconception of the counseling profession and a lack of awareness of their role in interprofessional collaboration; which may lead to underutilization of counselors for team based care. As an example, in 2009 six professional health related associations developed core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice and counseling associations were not involved in the development. This manuscript introduces the profession of counseling to others in medical health professions in hopes that similarities will bridge the gap between knowledge and future collaborative practice. The manuscript shows how the profession aligns with the core competencies for interprofessional …

Advocacy In Action: A Framework For Implementation Of The American Counselors Association Advocacy Competencies On A Local Level, Jeffrey M. Lown

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Despite calls from within the professional field and external forces, counselors have faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to be effective advocates for their clients and themselves. A review of the literature reveals that throughout the history of the profession, prominent figures have called on counselors to assume advocacy roles, and that some initiatives have been successful in fostering lasting change. However, as counselors and their clients’ needs continue to evolve, so too must strategies to address these needs be reevaluated and new initiatives put into place.

In this paper, I have outlined a committee structure and agenda that seeks …

Balancing Self-Compassion With Self-Advocacy: A New Approach For Persons With Disabilities Learning To Self-Advocate, Susan Stuntzner, Michael Hartley

Counseling Faculty Publications

Self-advocacy and self-compassion are concepts typically not perceived as related or as skills which hold great value when infused. Learning to self-advocate can be a challenging task for many persons with disabilities. Oftentimes people are not afforded access to information on how to self-advocate. As a result, many people must struggle to figure out if, when, and how to self-advocate. In an effort to change this trend, the present article argues that self-compassion connects self-advocacy and empowerment while also reinforcing an underlying message that individuals do not need to be rescued and are not victims of their environments. Self-advocacy is …

Beliefs Among Licensed Clinical Social Workers About Assessing Parents Abused As Children, Emma Celina Duarte

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Child abuse is a pressing national issue that affects thousands of children every year in the United States. The lifelong implications of child abuse been well documented in the literature, which identifies psychopathology, interpersonal violence and suicide risk, and substance abuse as a prominent triad of the negative sequelae of child abuse. Parents abused as children represent a subgroup that introduces additional domains of clinical interest and unique needs, including parenting stress and perceived parenting competence. These complex clusters of needs are clinically significant, and the beliefs licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) hold about parents abused as children can significantly …

Military Families’ Reintegration And Resiliency: An Examination Of Programs And Civilian Counselor Training, Jaime Grove

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Military members and their families have many potential issues to face, both during deployment and reintegration. Some of these issues include mental health problems, relationships with family members, employment, etc… This paper will include a review of the literature regarding current concerns of military members and their families, an overview of some of the existing programs aimed to help this population, interviews with three counselors working with the military population, and conclusions and recommendations for future programs. Findings included differences between programs in the research and what techniques counselors may be using and strategies for developing effective programs.

California Student Counselors Reflect On A Study Abroad Experience In New Zealand, John M. Winslade, Lorraine Hedtke, Amy Douglass, Korina Echeverria, Dorry Lillard, Joanna Garcia, Stefany Zacarias, Samantha Stephens, Krystal Howard

Special Education, Rehabilitation & Counseling Faculty Publications

Seven counseling and guidance students from California participated in a study abroad program in which they were placed in a high school in Auckland, New Zealand, for one month. Their comments on the experience in response to researchers’ questions form the basis of this paper. They suggest that the participants benefited from being immersed in a culturally different context where they had to consider differences in school organization, counseling priorities, and students’ cultural mores. This immersion required them to think about their own professional values and to engage in high level learning, appropriate to masters level field experience work. They …

Comparing Short-Term Outcomes Of Three Problem Gambling Treatments: A Multi-Group Propensity Score Analysis, Adam David Soberay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study applied a multi-group form of propensity score analysis to the study of outcomes related to problem gambling treatment. Across various treatment settings, it is often unfeasible or unethical to randomly assign participants to different treatment conditions, particularly when one of the conditions involves not receiving treatment. Additionally, evaluative practices often involve assessing outcomes from a primarily treatment focused setting, in which case clients are likely not randomly assigned to treatment. Consequently, where randomization does not exist, methods such as propensity score matching need to be implemented to separate what part of the observed outcomes is attributable to treatment …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experience Of Counseling For Women With Addictions, Jennifer Karin Londgren

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative study explores the experience of counseling for women with addiction issues. Six women with varying ethnic and racial backgrounds between the ages of 24-44 years old participated in the study. Each woman was diagnosed with a substance use disorder and had to have participated in at least five counseling sessions to be included in the study. The study utilized a phenomenological methodology, which seeks to understand the core essence of the phenomenon of counseling itself. Each woman was interviewed once for at least 45 minutes and two women were interviewed twice. These interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and …

How Does An Interpreter Affect The Client-Counselor Relationship With A Client Who Is Deaf?, Vanessa Ivette Rodriguez-Aviles

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Few studies have explored mental health services such as counseling that are specifically provided to those who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH). This qualitative study was intended as an early research effort within a young field to investigate the impact of having an interpreter present within the therapeutic context. Qualitative data were obtained from an online, open-ended survey of eight d/Deaf and/or hard of hearing counseling clients in which the counselor was hearing and an interpreter was used in the counseling process. It was found that that d/Deaf cultural competence on the part of the counselor is an …

The Influence Of Stigma On Quality Of Life And Relationship Satisfaction For Prostate Cancer Survivors And Their Partners, Andrew Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between stigma, quality of life (QoL), and relationships satisfaction for prostate cancer (PCa) survivors and their intimate and/or romantic partners. The investigator tested a theoretical model that stigma (as measured by the Social Impact Scale [SIS; Fife & Wright, 2000]) influenced QoL (as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Prostate [FACT-P; Esper et al., 1997] and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – General Population [FACT-GP; Cella et al., 1993]) and relationship satisfaction (as measured by the Couples Satisfaction Index [CSI; Funk & Rogge, 2007]) for both …

The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wellness is an integral component of the helping professions (Myers & Sweeney, 2005; Witmer, 1985). Specifically, wellness is included in ethical codes, suggestions for practice, and codes of conduct throughout counseling, psychology, and social work fields (see American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2014; American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 2010; National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 1996). Even so, wellness in helping professionals is a difficult construct to measure. Thus, the purpose of the research investigation was to develop the Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (HPWDS) and examine the psychometric features of …

Research And Leadership Development Through Participation On A Inter Professional Research Team, Kaprea F. Johnson

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

This case study details one research team and includes a conceptual tri-level leadership model for team participation and project organization. Participants included seven students and one assistant professor. Findings highlight team development, recruitment, expectations, leadership gains, and implications for the profession.

The Quality Of Presence: An Essential Component Of Therapeutic Work, Melissa R. Haley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concept of therapeutic presence has only recently been addressed in the literature. However the literature regarding this topic indicates that therapeutic presence is an important aspect of effective therapy (Boudette, 2011; Bradford, 2007; Greason & Cashwell, 2009; Hall-Renn, 2006; Nanda, 2009). As much of the literature is comprised of conceptual pieces, empirical data needs to be expanded on regarding therapeutic presence. One of the areas that is not addressed in the literature is how practicing counselors perceive or utilize presence The objective of this qualitative study was to gather information from a sample of expert counseling practitioners concerning therapeutic …

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 Emerging Adult Clients: The Role Of Attachment Relationships In Promoting Well-Being And Positive Development, Joel A. Lane, Christina M. Schnyders

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Emerging adulthood refers to a stage of development between adolescence and adulthood, generally encompassing the 18-29 age range. Sweeping societal changes during the latter 20^th and early 21^st centuries have resulted in a markedly different subjective experience in emerging adulthood compared to prior generations of 18- to 29-year-olds. Prominent features of emerging adulthood include demographic instability, feeling in-between, self-focus, prolonged identity exploration, and possibilities. Emerging adulthood is considered to be a critical period for well-being and functioning: impulsivity, risk-taking behaviors, and psychiatric onset are elevated in this age range, presumably because emerging adults concurrently experience the freedom and …

Spring 2014

Action in Education

Q&A with Dean Paul Zionts; Revamped Education and Counseling Center offers professional training opportunities for students; Many stories to tell: Recent Stockyard Institute publications relay cultural and social histories; Professors put educational theory into practice in the community; Around the college; COE alumnus recognized for engaging physical education techniques; Many Dreams, One Mission Campaign for DePaul University

Spiritual/Religious Issues In Therapy At A Community Mental Health Clinic, Courtney Elizabeth Mcconnell

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Abstract The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the growing area of spirituality and religion in counseling. The American public values religion; and the American Psychological Association (APA) acknowledges religion/spirituality as a vital area of diversity. With APA calling for specialized training in religious diversity, it is important to consider what religious/spiritual issues arise in a community counseling setting. This study was designed to determine whether clients or therapists raise religious issues, and whether clients who self-identify as religiously affiliated spend more time discussing religious/spiritual topics in session. In addition, researchers hoped to learn about what religious content was …

Sabbatical Leave Proposal, Angela Jancola

Sabbaticals

I request sabbatical leave for the fall 2014 semester. I have worked as a full time employee of Parkland College for almost fourteen years. The goal of my sabbatical is to become reinvigorated and update my counseling skills so that I may continue to provide counseling services to students to the best of my ability. As a counselor, I provide academic, career, personal counseling, and crisis intervention as needed. In the last five years our department, the college, and in schools across the country, there has been a marked increase in the number of students presenting more complex mental health …

Perceptions Of The Counseling Profession: From Health Science Graduate Faculty And Students, Kaprea F. Johnson, Christianne Fowler, Karen Kott, Margaret Lemaster

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Counseling is considered a newer healthcare profession and possibly unknown to others. This study uses a post-positivist phenomenological approach exploring healthcare faculty and students' perceptions of counseling professionals after participating in a semester long interprofessional health promotions and maintenance course. Results indicated most professions are unaware of counselors, their scope of practice, and their benefit to interprofessional teams. Participants showed growth in their knowledge. Results indicate the importance of interprofessional education and need for advocacy awareness.

The Impact Of A Group Counseling Intervention On Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Queer Older Adolescents' Levels Of Hope, Coping, And Suicidality, Catherine Lamb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This investigation examined the impact of an eight-week group counseling intervention on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) older adolescents’ (aged 18-20) levels of hopefulness, coping skills, and suicidality. An experimental, randomized-controlledtrial research design was employed to identify differences between the intervention group and waitlist control group participants’ hopefulness, coping skills, and suicidality scores. In addition, the relationship between the LGBTQ+ participants’ outcome variables (hopefulness, coping skills, and suicidality) scores was examined. Furthermore, the impact of group therapeutic factors experienced by the LGBTQ+ participants in intervention group for the variables of hopefulness, coping skills, and suicidality was examined. Key …

Becoming Confident In Addressing Client Spiritual Or Religious Orientation In Counseling: A Grounded Theory Understanding, Douglas R. Tillman, Julie A. Dinsmore, David D. Hof, Christine Chasek

Counseling Faculty Publications

The process of how counselors develop confidence in addressing the spiritual or religious orientation of the client during therapy was explored using a qualitative, grounded theory framework. Results suggest that developing this confidence, as well as avoiding pitfalls when incorporating spirituality or religious orientation in the therapeutic process, are shaped by the counselor's personal spiritual journey. Formative factors include having opportunities to socially construct knowledge and skill, the level of reverence and respect for spirituality, and the degree of internal drive on the part of the counselor to become more confident. Implications of these findings for counselor practice are discussed.

Disclosure In Times Of Art: A Relational Analysis Of Social Practices, Anita Hardon, Alice Desclaux, Joe Lugalla

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

The reach of HIV counseling and testing has grown rapidly since the 2000s, particularly since 2007 when provider-initiated counseling and testing was implemented alongside voluntary counseling and testing and testing for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Nevertheless, we still know little about the attendant practices of disclosing HIV-positive status. Persistently high rates of non-disclosure raise difficult ethical, public health and human rights issues. The articles in this special issue show that disclosure practices in Africa not only follow the public health rationality but are shaped by fears of stigma that favor secrecy. They show how practices of disclosure are embedded …

A Delphi Study To Construct A Script Concordance Test For Spiritual And Religious Competence In Counseling, Christopher Christmas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The need to address spiritual and religious issues is well established in the counseling literature and in accreditation standards, however, many graduates counseling students do not feel prepared to address these issues. In the United States, the vast majority of clients consider themselves to be spiritual or religious, so counselors who lack competence in addressing spiritual and religious issues in counseling are likely to offer ineffective or perhaps unethical care to clients. Counselor educators must improve education and assessment in this critical specialty area of counseling. Of primary concern is a student’s ability to demonstrate spiritual competence in counseling. The …

Supervision And Education As A Factor Of Self Efficacy In Novice Therapists, Natalie D. Dewitt

Graduate Theses

The hypothesis of this exploratory study is aimed at examining novice therapist’s self- efficacy towards counseling, observing self efficacy modifications during practicum, and creating implications for future therapists. There were 20 participants surveyed using the Counselor Self Efficacy Scale, as well as questions generated towards the education experience as well as the supervision experience. A Pearson’s correlation was conducted comparing the supervision and education experience, there was a negative correlation, resulting in the education experience decreasing as the supervision experience increased. A r-test was conducted and the difference in means was consistent with the Pearson correlation confirming higher supervision scores.

Twenty-Somethings In The Classroom And Counseling Office: Understanding Emerging Adult Counseling Students, Joel A. Lane

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent trends in many counseling training programs have reflected a proliferation of students entering graduate school directly after completing an undergraduate program. This proliferation has resulted in an increase in the number of emerging adult counseling students. Emerging adulthood is the term used to describe the ages of 18-25, and is unique in that individuals in this age group identify subjectively with aspects of both adolescence and adulthood without fully identifying with either. Lacking a crystallized adult identity poses unique challenges for these students, particularly with regard to developing professional identity and self-efficacy. While many emerging adults view these challenges …

Mentoring Counselor Education Doctoral Students To Teach Basic Counseling Skills, Erin E. Binkley, Joel A. Lane, Sarah Eikelberg

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

As doctoral students in the field of Counselor Education prepare to become faculty members, engaging in supervised teaching experiences are both helpful and necessary to their development. In this presentation, two doctoral students and one faculty member will discuss their experience with mentoring as a tool for developing skill in teaching. In this mentoring relationship, the two doctoral students co-taught the Basic Counseling Skills course with the faculty member, and were mentored in areas of teaching, supervision, governance, and student evaluation. Experience of the mentoring process and development of teaching skills will be discussed by both the faculty member and …