Counseling Commons^™

Where Is The Light? Fighting The Darkness Of Substance Abuse And Suicide., Jessica Wacholz

Counselor Education Capstones

Suicide is a universal health crisis. However, it is also a topic that is infrequently discussed. There is significant research regarding risk factors for suicide, gender, or population comparisons on the likelihood of suicidal ideation, attempts, and completions; but there is a lack of comprehensive research regarding the connection between suicidality and substance abuse. In addition, limited research is provided on the topic of initial suicide screening requirements at intake and during a residential stay in Treatment Centers, Hospitals, and Primary Care Clinics. This review of literature intends to answer the following questions: 1) How prevalent is suicidal ideation, attempts, …

Rethinking Recidivism: Considerations For Counselors Working With Adult Clients In Sex Offender Treatment, Claire Richards

Counselor Education Capstones

Sex offender treatment is often court ordered and part of conditional release for individuals who have been convicted of harmful sexual acts. Counselors working with this population have an important role in terms of supporting and addressing the needs of their clients, but also in terms of public safety. A cursory exploration of this treatment includes an overview of the role that risk/protective factors documented through assessments have on outcomes, the impact of restrictions regarding conditional release, and how the counselors are both impacted by and integral to this field. Counselors who work with this demographic are presented with informed …

Incarcerated People With Co-Occurring Disorders, Nikki Ketzeback

Counselor Education Capstones

People with mental illnesses are at a significantly greater risk of police arrest than the general population. This pattern of arrests has been associated with a phenomenon referred to as the criminalization of mental illness. The influence of mental health and the criminal justice system will be discussed throughout this paper. The research discussed within this paper serves as a framework for the development of a co-occurring curriculum. The curriculum developed includes components related to the overall goal of criminal justice (reducing recidivism) while addressing mental health components within a therapeutic group setting. The focus of the curriculum attached is …

Commonalities Between Urban Mental Health And Rural Mental Health, Casey Bohlman

Counselor Education Capstones

During research into mental health, a common theme is the needs of urban and rural communities. There are entire journals dedicated to the mental health needs of these groups. Some common problems faced in both areas are access to mental health services as well as value systems that create barriers to accepting mental health services. The struggle to accept the help from very limited and often underfunded mental health services provides a perfect storm for rampant mental health and drug abuse problems. This is a review the current literature regarding the mental health services and barriers in these communities to …

Mental Health Concerns In Graduate Students: Implications And Effective Interventions, Brody Fanshaw

Counselor Education Capstones

Graduate school can be a stressful time for students. In addition to academic tasks, individuals in graduate programs frequently experience stress due to personal and professional obligations. The distressing nature of managing these priorities allows for an increase in mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidality. The reviewed literature finds that programs that have positive factors within their department, such as a positive environment and supportive advisement, allow for an opportunity to curb these concerns. The literature also notes the importance of universities preparing their students for these stressors during their time in their graduate program, in addition …

Therapeutic Potential Of Psychedelic Drugs, Specifically Magic Mushrooms, Marijuana, And Mdma With Veterans Who Suffer From Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Misty Schutterle

Counselor Education Capstones

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a stress-based condition that a person develops after being exposed to an overwhelmingly traumatic event. Military troops frequently experience stress and trauma, making them highly susceptible to psychopathology. This paper evaluates nine clinical trials that used either magic mushrooms, marijuana, or MDMA as an adjunct to traditional psychotherapy to treat veterans who suffer from anxiety, depression, PTSD, suicidality, and other psychopathologies. Multiple scholarly journals and articles were read and analyzed, which show support for the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs in treating veterans with PTSD. After receiving psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, the research showed participants experienced a …

The Creative Arts Personal Growth Group (Capg): Transforming Fear And Shame, Lisa S. Sosin, Sandra Noble, John Jonathan Suroshan Harrichand, Lynn Bohecker

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Literature highlights the long-term effects of bullying and interpersonal cruelty, including symptoms of trauma and shame. Although scholars have encouraged the development of trauma-informed group interventions for adults with a history of bullying, they have yet to be developed. This article introduces The Creative Arts Personal Growth Group: Transforming Fear and Shame with Compassion, Courage, and Community (CAPG) and presents findings from a phenomenlogocial pilot study exploring participants’ experiences. Themes of containment, creativity, and community promoted regulation of symptoms and selfidentity within the context of a safe, inclusive, and affirming group experience. Implications and recommendations are provided.

A Comparison Of The Risk Of Fracture In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients With And Without Receiving Chinese Herbal Medicine, Hou-Hsun Liao, Hanoch Livneh, Yu-Jung Chung, Ching-Hsing Lin, Ning-Sheng Lai, Hung-Rong Yen, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often suffer from bone complications due to persistent joint inflammation, especially incident fracture. Nowadays, Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) have provided safe and effective therapy for treating skeletal conditions, but it is unclear whether CHMs can prevent fracture onset among RA individuals. This study aimed to determine the association between the use of CHMs and the risk of fracture among them.

Methods: This retrospective, population-based study retrieved administrative health data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) database to identify patients with newly diagnosed RA between 2000 and 2009. Of the 6178 incident …

Multicultural Considerations For Latinx And Latinx-American Children In Play Therapy, Andrea Carolina Guerrero León

Counselor Education Capstones

This paper is predominately focused on the exploration of the research available on play therapy and its efficacy with Latinx children. Play therapy is a counseling approach used to process behaviors and emotions in children through interactive play. There are several modalities to play, which all stem from Sigmund Freud’s landmark work with “Little Hans”; these modalities are applied to help children process issues in their lives. However, multicultural considerations have not always been traditionally present in the broader counseling community in the United States. Since the Latinx population is the fastest growing minority in the U.S. with rich, diverse …

Improving Academic Success: Creating A College Planning Resource For Students, Hannah Grunden

Honors Projects

Academic performance of students is a major concern for colleges, especially with the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Research has shown that active involvement, the development of self-regulation skills, and improved mental health all have a considerable impact on college students’ academic success. Colleges like Bowling Green State University need to consider how they can use these factors and leverage resources to improve student performance. In this project, a solution is proposed in the form of a college/personal planner which is directly based off research on early academic success. While further, more specific research is needed to fully understand the issue and …

A Practical Application Of Self Psychology In Counseling, A. Jordan Wright

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Self psychology has undergone a significant evolution since it was initially developed and proposed by Heinz Kohut, including broadening conceptions of what purposes selfobjects can serve for individuals. Its application to counseling has been as an organizing framework and overarching theory of human development and psychopathology. The concept of selfobjects, however, has the potential to provide specific guidance and technique in micro-interactions within counseling. Individual moments within counseling present opportunities for a counselor to intervene, and self psychology can provide a deliberate decision-making tool for how to respond. Being deliberate in interventions throughout counseling has the potential to improve outcomes. …

Supervision Strategies To Facilitate Vicarious Post Traumatic Growth Among Trauma Counselors, Jennifer D. Deaton, Brooke Wymer, Ryan G. Carlson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselors working with clients who have experienced trauma may encounter a range of indirect trauma responses (i.e., vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and/or secondary traumatic stress). Alternatively, counselors may experience positive affects such as living life more fully, treating others differently, or becoming more emotionally expressive in their relationships due to indirect trauma exposure. The latter experience is called vicarious post traumatic growth and has implications for more positive counselor functioning and better client outcomes. In this article, we review four enabling factors of vicarious post traumatic growth to provide supervision strategies to address indirect trauma; meaning making, social interests, social …

Integrating Vicarious Resilience Into Counselor Education Programs, Olivia T. Ngadjui

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

To support the retention of counselors in the field, suggestions influenced by a deficit lens caution and affirm the importance of preventative wellness to counselors while highlighting the impact related to the lack of attentiveness towards counselors’ well-being such as impairment, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout. The construct of vicarious resilience is a transformative lens of care (Hernandez-Wolfe, 2018). For counselors, this lens includes substantial benefits towards the counselor’s wellbeing when collaborating with empathy and care to reframe initial thinking surrounding the therapeutic relationship. This article consists of a conceptual framework for integrating vicarious resilience into counselor education as …

A Social Justice Recruitment And Retention Model For Diversifying School Counselor Education, Caroline Lopez-Perry, Malti Tuttle, Jung H. Hyun, Shanel Robinson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

A social justice recruitment and retention model for BIPOC school counselors into counselor education doctoral programs is described. This article represents a call to action for counselor educators to examine their practices and policies for recruiting and retaining BIPOC school counselors in doctoral programs and the field of counselor education.

Counselor Educators Experiences And Techniques Teaching About Social-Health Inequities, Kaprea Johnson, Lauren B. Robins

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are social-health inequities which cause wellness disparities amongst the population. This phenomenological investigation explored counselor educators’ (N=12) methods for teaching about SDOH. Two structural themes (pedagogic strategies and instructor context) and seven textural themes were identified, displaying the comprehensive coverage of SDOH in counseling courses. Implications for refinement of SDOH coverage are included.

Will To Meaning: A Pilot Study On Teaching Existential Theory Through Creative Techniques, Laura L. Wood, Lori Mcandrew, Jason S. Frydman

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Early career clinicians have reported limited experience utilizing existential concepts in their clinical practice. This deficit may be attributed to a gap in training. Further, utilizing creative techniques to elucidate conceptual understanding has a demonstrated history of effectiveness in the classroom. This study explored whether the use of creative instructional techniques supports student learning of existential counseling theory, and, if so, which specific tools do students prefer. Through pairing existential concepts with creative instructional techniques, the researchers hypothesized that understanding would increase. Students reported a significant increase in their knowledge of existential concepts following the use of creative instructional techniques …

Enhancing Clinical Competencies In Counselor Education: The Deliberate Practice Coaching Framework, Taylor Irvine, Chelsea Fullilove, Arielle Osman, Lilia Farmanara, Kelly Emelianchik-Key

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

In the counselor education (CE) literature, there remains a paucity of available research on systematic methods to enhance counselors-in-training (CIT) clinical competencies. Currently, CIT report feeling not only ill-equipped in essential counseling competencies upon graduating, but they also indicate diminished self-efficacy before engaging in clinical work. Therefore, we propose the Deliberate Practice Coaching Framework (DPCF) to address these issues. This systematic framework integrates deliberate practice components and coaching, with a peer mentoring relationship, to help enhance CIT clinical competencies and skill development, as well as promote overall self-efficacy. We provide a case illustrating the application of the DPCF. We also …

Tenure Standards, Scholarly Productivity, And Workloads Of Counselor Educators At Doctoral And Master's-Only Counseling Programs, Gregory Hatchett

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This article describes the results of a survey that inquired about the tenure standards, scholarly productivity, and workloads of counselor educators (N = 119) at doctoral-level counselor education programs. These survey results were then compared to the results attained in an earlier study of counselor educators (N = 168) at master’s-only programs at comprehensive universities (Hatchett, 2020). These two groups of counselor educators differed on the following variables: proportion of counselor educators with Ph.D.’s, binary gender, perceptions of tenure criteria, scholarly productivity on an annual basis and at the time of tenure applications, teaching schedules, distribution of work …

In-Home Counseling Clinical Supervision: A Multiple-Case Study Analysis, Janelle M. Cox, Connie T. Jones, Stephanie F. Dailey

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

An understanding of the knowledge and skills necessary for clinical supervision of in-home counselors is scarce in counseling. To address this gap, the authors conducted a multiple-case study with three clinical supervisors from two in-home counseling agencies in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Data was collected through multiple sources: individual interviews, clinical supervisors contracts, and philosophies. Within-case and cross-case analysis resulted in four themes: clinical supervision practices, training and evaluation, ethical dilemmas, and boundary setting. Implications of these findings suggest clinical supervisors at in-home agencies are not receiving formal training and rely heavily on previous experience to guide their clinical supervision practice, …

Creativity In Supervision Using The Integrated Developmental Model Of Supervision, Kyle Bellinger, Stacia Carone

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Clinical supervision is a primary task of the professional counseling supervisor. The American Counseling Association (2014) Code of Ethics includes requirements for supervisors to be competent in the delivery of supervision. The Integrated Developmental Model (IDM) (McNeill & Stoltenberg, 2015; Stoltenberg & Delworth, 1987) is a widely accepted supervision model (Salvador, 2016) that can be utilized to conceptualize supervisees’ levels of expertise and corresponding skills. The use of creativity in supervision has been reported to improve counselor insight and resulting conceptualizations of and relationships with clients (Lahad, 2000). The IDM of supervision, in conjunction with creative interventions can be implemented …

Perceptions Of Poverty: Exploring Counseling Students’ Reactions To Presenting Concerns, Sarah K. Tucker, Michael K. Schmit, Amanda L. Giordano Dr.

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Understanding counseling students’ preferences, competence, and perceived training related to presenting concerns is important information for counselor training programs. Given the association between poverty and mental health concerns, we compared counseling students’ reactions to presenting concerns often linked to poverty (e.g., financial concerns/assistance) to their reactions toward other clinical issues (e.g., gender identity development). Students’ provided ratings of clinical preference for working with various presenting concerns, and concerns that may be prevalent among clients living in poverty ranked last. Additionally, we utilized a repeated measure design to examine differences in students’ perceived competence and perceived training across four case vignettes …

Assessing Bayesian Racism Scale: Measuring Endorsement Of Racial Stereotypes, Stacey Diane Arañez Litam, Richard S. Balkin

Faculty and Student Publications

Bayesian racism is the belief that it is rational to discriminate against people based on existing racial stereotypes. The presence of Bayesian racism is strongly associated with negative feelings about minoritized groups and the desire to maintain racially inequitable social hierarchies. A confirmatory factor analysis on the Bayesian Racism Scale (BRS) yielded a unidimensional measure for assessing prejudicial attitudes that endorse stereotypes based on racial and ethnic groups. Findings from the study have important implications for multicultural and social justice research.

The Relationship Between Witnessing Bullying, Defending Targets, And Internalizing Symptoms: An Analysis Of Gender Differences Among Sixth-Grade Students, Aida Midgett, Diana M. Doumas, Matt Peck, Amanda Winburn

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

We examined the moderating effect of gender on witnessing bullying, defending, and internalizing symptoms among sixth-grade students at one middle school in the northwestern United States. Results indicated that for females, witnessing bullying was positively associated with depressive symptoms and social anxiety, whereas for males, defending was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Findings suggest the importance of equipping female students with strategies to cope with witnessing bullying and providing male students with appropriate intervention skills for defending targets.

Feedback-Informed Treatment (Fit) Data Demonstrates The Importance Of The First Session With A Client, Huma Bashir, Josephine F. Wilson, Greta H. Meyer

Human Services Faculty Publications

Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) is a client-driven, outcome-based approach to enhance treatment outcomes. FIT data from 2,283 clients served by 80 counselors working at nine participating agencies were collected and analyzed to measure client response. These data included Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) scores obtained at the beginning of each session and Session Rating Scale (SRS) scores obtained at the end of each session. TotalORS and Total SRS scores at the first session for the individuals who failed to improve from first to last sessions were significantly lower than the Total ORS and Total SRS scores at the first session for …

An Exploration Of Military Spouse Mental Health: Religion/Spirituality, Resilience, Social Support, Deployment, And Rank, Sharita Gwen Knobloch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military spouses (MLSPs) are a vital component of military readiness and resilience, yet they are highly understudied, particularly within the realm of mental health. This study was grounded in resilience theory, investigating relationship interactions between religion/spirituality (R/S) on mental health through resilience (mediator) conditioned at levels of social support, deployment, and rank (moderators). An online survey was distributed via social media, open to MLSPs of all branches and all components (N = 1079). This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional correlational research design utilized PROCESS Model 58, which found that two R/S subscales, Daily Spiritual Experiences and Religious Coping, exerted indirect effects on …

The Effectiveness Of Faith-Based Group Life Coaching On Stress And Anxiety Levels In Spouses Of Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Esperanza Pilar Guerra Lugo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Veterans who courageously served in the military are often diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and their spouses are at high risk of suffering in silence from stress and anxiety. Many spouses are also their Veteran’s caregiver which leaves little time for their own self-care needs. Being a Veteran’s 24-hour caregiver can lead to poor physical and mental health, aggravating spouses stress and anxiety levels which is often only treated with medication or goes untreated due to lack of mental health care access and the stigma that comes with it. The literature review explores the research gap of how online faith-based …

Vicarious Trauma In Spouses/Intimate Partners Of Law Enforcement Officers And The Relationship Between Trauma And Relationship Functioning, Dortheen Richardson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The phenomenological study is to understand better the impact of vicarious trauma (VT) on the spouses/intimate partners of law enforcement officers (LEO)s in Alabama and allow researchers to attain a meaningful understanding of real-life events and the complexity of the social phenomenon. The goal is to highlight the inequity in the treatment of spouses/intimate partners of LEOs and develop protocols for mandatory reporting trauma. The theories guiding this study are constructivist self-development theory (CSDT), secondary trauma theory (STT), and family stress theory (FST). The participants were former/current spouses/intimate partners of LEOs who experienced trauma while in the line of duty. …

The Moderating Effect Of Shame Proneness On Avoidant God Attachment And On Anxious God Attachment, Tamika Andrews Sirmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study’s focus was on examining both anxious and avoidant God attachment and the correlation of each to both positive and negative religious coping as moderated by shame proneness. Participants were 158 individuals ages 18 to 70 years across the United States who proclaim Christianity. They were assessed on their attachment relationship with God, religious coping strategies, and proneness to shame. Correlation analysis already established the relationship between God attachment and religious coping. Regression analysis revealed shame proneness as a moderator of the relationship between the two attachment styles and both positive and negative religious coping. This study had limitations …

The Strong Black Woman And Marital Satisfaction: A Mediation Moderation Analysis Of Mental Health And Religiosity, Jessica Christine Wright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between endorsement of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema (stoicism and independence subscales), mental health (depression and anxiety), marital satisfaction, and the potential moderating effects of religiosity (negative and positive religious coping) on the strength and direction of this relationship. Participants consisted of four-hundred and thirty-nine married women who were recruited via Qualtrics. The women completed inventories to assess for SBW endorsement, marital satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and both negative and positive religious coping. The results indicated embracing characteristics of SBW-stoicism predicted decreased marital satisfaction and increased anxiety and depression. In …

Nicu Experiences Of Adoptive Parents & Desired Preparation, Catherine J. Howe

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Parents who have newborns admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) have multiple experiences and emotions. Additional social and emotional layers are experienced by adoptive couples when the infant they wish to adopt needs specialized care. This research study was completed to find out what adoptive parents experience in the NICU and what preparation would have been helpful. The method included semi-structured, open-ended interviews with seven couples who adopted a newborn at a Midwestern adoption agency within the past three years and had a NICU experience. The results described adoptive couples’ experiences on the unit, bonding and attachment, fears …