Psychology Commons^™

On Seeking Help: Social Reactions Experienced By Sexual Violence Survivors In The Indian Diaspora, Bagmi Das

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Sexual violence trauma counseling should be informed by the intersections of a survivor’s identity. This research focused on the social reactions experienced by survivors of sexual violence from the Indian diaspora. This study used quantitative survey research methods and correlational analysis as well as descriptive statistics to understand the social reactions that survivors received from informal supports and formal supports. Significant results, implications for counselors, and future research recommendations are discussed.

Full Issue, Mississippi Counseling Association

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Digital Mediums In Expressive Arts Therapy, Katherine Mcadams

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In recent years, there have been considerable advances in technology, which have made digital devices such as computers and cellphones cheaper and more accessible for most Americans. The Pew Research Center (2019) reports that 96% of adult American’s own a cellphone, with 81% owning a smartphone. Usage rates for cellphones and other digital devices amongst children and adolescents are also high with 95% of teens, aged 13-17, report owning a smartphone (Jiang, 2018). Despite these staggering statistics the field of psychology and creative therapies have been slower to adopt and incorporate the use of digital media and technology into the …

Dance Movement Therapy For Clients With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Literature Review, Holly Inman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The overall focus of this thesis study is to take a closer look at how dance movement therapy could beneficially impact people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The literature reviewed focuses on the history of dance movement therapy along with several methods of the therapeutic practice, the beginning stages of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder re- search as well as the current treatment methods, and the current work being done with dance movement therapy and clients with this diagnosis. Many of the symptoms considered within this diagnosis are supported by the structure of dance movement therapy, serving as a beneficial …

Mental Health Professionals Serving The Military: Who Has Access?, Nicole Marie Arcuri-Sanders, Kellie Forziat-Pytel

Educational Sciences and Organizations

Licensed counselors are underrepresented as mental health professionals (MHPs) servicing military-connected clients (service member/Veterans and their families). Mixed-methods research, conducted by the authors, highlights key viewpoints of MHPs (counselor, psychologist, and social worker) interested in working with the military and on their level of confidence in working with this population. MHPs' experiences, perspectives of their profession's responsibilities to military clients, and their role in comparison to other MHPs is explored. Findings aid in advocacy efforts for the military population to receive counseling from qualified providers and support counseling program development to increase counselor employability among this group.

Cards On The Table: A Practicum Experience Aiming To Bridge The Gap Between Otterbein's Athletes And Mental Health Services, Asha Wallace

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The purpose of this practicum was to help bridge the gap between Otterbein’s athletic population and mental health services. Previous research has discussed the potential barriers to student athletes seeking mental health assistance from their institution, including by not limited to lack of time, stigma, education, and negative past experiences. A barrier for receiving care for DIII athletes, specifically, is access. It has been noted that, due to limited resources, Otterbein does not have a mental health professional designated specifically to its athletes. There are, however, a variety of resources both on and around campus that can increase the mental …

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

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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

Non-Affirmation As A Moderator Between Social Support And Quality Of Life For Transgender Populations, Michael Evitts

Dissertations

This research builds upon scholarship exploring the quality of life of transgender populations. Knowledge on quality-of-life (QOL) for transgender populations has been limited due to the fact that most studies have focused on gender affirming medical procedures as interventions (Nobili et al., 2018). Other protective factors, such as social support, have been identified in the literature but have been defined in broad terms. The purpose of the study was to better understand additional factors that promote QOL and psychological well-being, specifically social support. It is unclear how non-affirmation of gender identity affects the protective effects of social support for QOL. …

Racial Identity, Masculinity, And Academic Help-Seeking Behaviors In African American Male College Students, Walter T. Malone

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Black racial identity attitudes, as measured by the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS), and masculine norms, as measured by the Conformity to Masculinity Norms Index -46 (CMNI-46), in relation to men's academic helpseeking behavior. Participants were 120 African American undergraduate males at a historically White university in the Midwest region of the United States. Four hypotheses were designed to help guide the measure's influences on two academic help-seeking variables, avoidance and perceived benefits. The first and second hypotheses both focused on the effects of Black college men's racial attitudes. …

Toward A Voice-Centered Relational Anti-Racist Listening Praxis In Counselor Education, Michelle R. Bertrand

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Abstract This article outlines key elements of an anti-racist listening praxis in counselor education. It demonstrates how racism in relationships of teaching and learning impacts racialized subjectivities, and the personal, cultural and ancestral worlds these subjectivities articulate, in a way that limits the capacity of racialized practitioners to be relational subjects and uses them instead to reinforce White/Western normativity. It describes a way of both listening to and challenging these impacts by re-centering the “I” of racialized speakers and the personal, cultural and traditional knowledges, identities and preferred ways of being to which they refer in their stories. Examples of …

Book Review: What Every Mental Health Professional Needs To Know About Sex, 2nd Ed., By Stephanie Buehler, Laura R. Haddock

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

The ability to understand and address sexuality issues is a critical skill set for all mental health professionals. This comprehensive review of the second edition of \textit{What Every Mental Health Professional Needs to Know About Sex} includes an overview of the contents with emphasis on the strengths and weaknesses of the text. Written by Stephanie Beuhler, a licensed psychologist and AASECT certified sex therapist and supervisor, the contents are educational, promote increased self-awareness for the reader, and facilitate insight into the lived experiences of clients while also providing practical and useful exercises and resources that are valuable regardless of a …

Impact Of Aging Information On The Continuing Education Preferences Of Behavioral Health Clinicians, Nicholas Schmidt

Dissertations

The United States population is aging rapidly and the behavioral health workforce is ill-prepared to meet the concurrent rise in demand for services for older adults. Clinicians specializing in working with older adults make up a very small portion of providers and the majority of service provision falls on general practitioners. The discipline of counseling has emphasized multicultural competencies in training and practice but has not specified standards of competence for work with older adults; little is known about the interests and training preferences of Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs). This study examined the impact of receiving foundational information about aging …

Effectiveness Of College Counseling Interventions In International Student Adjustment To United States Higher Education Systems: A Meta-Analysis, Joshua Ebby Abraham

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

International students in U.S. higher education institutions face many emotional, social, and institutional challenges as they navigate their academic and acculturative journeys. College counseling centers serve as valuable support resources, but low utilization rates and high early termination rates among the international student population presents a major concern for the college counseling field. To begin the development of an empirically supported, responsive approach to structuring counseling work with international students, this study utilized a metaanalysis to review the literature on counseling intervention effectiveness. The following questions guided this research: What adjustment outcomes are produced by college counseling interventions across modes …

Incivility Of Coworker Behaviors And Minority Firefighters’ Belongingness In The Workplace, Alyssa Reiter

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Research with firefighters continues to indicate that this population is particularly vulnerable to development of mental health conditions as a result of their professional roles (International Association of Firefighters [IAFF], 2019; Stanley et al., 2017; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2018) and minority firefighters may be at heightened risk as a result of their experiences within the fire service. An answer to this concern may lie in the exploration of belonging and uncivil behaviors, as research has demonstrated that belonging in the workplace serves to reduce mental health symptoms and enhance an individual’s ability to cope with …

Identity Transformation Through Substance Use Disorder Recovery: Introducing The Six Stage Model, Naomi Watkins, Austin Mcneill Brown, Kayce Courson

The Qualitative Report

Narratives of substance use disorder recovery experience can provide useful qualitative conceptual categories and novel theories about the way in which recovery is experienced by individuals. This information can better inform definitions, concepts, and supports for recovery processes. The current study reviewed 30 written personal recovery biographies which were contained within student applications to the collegiate recovery program housed in the Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery at Kennesaw State University. Using grounded theory methodology, common benchmarks, or topographic recovery features were revealed involving the evolution of identity as an inter-negotiated process throughout the addiction and recovery biographies (Charmaz, …

Sister-To-Sister: A Phenomenological Study Of Women’S Experiences Of Having A Sister With Autism Spectrum Disorder Based On The Female Autism Phenotype, William Gregory Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the amount of material currently available on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little research has been done specifically on females with ASD. Several studies have looked at the various relationships that individuals with ASD have, but to date no known study has been done specifically on the sibling relationship between neurotypical and autistic sisters. In this study, through semi-structured interviews, four neurotypical women reported on their lived experiences of having a sister with ASD. Their accounts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis informed by the theory of a unique female autism phenotype. Six superordinate themes appeared in the work: social …

What Are We Missing?: A Comparison Of Experiences Of Race-Based Trauma By Black Americans And Black Jamaicans, Bianca R. Augustine

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Current literature explains that events resulting from instances of white supremacy and racism are traumatizing for Black individuals (Phillips, 2020). Prior literature illuminates the impact of racism and resulting race-based trauma on Black individuals but is lacking regarding the lived experiences of race-based trauma in Black individuals in the U.S. and Black individuals from Jamaica. The goal of this study was to fill a gap in current literature by providing counselors and counselor educators with information regarding the experiences of Black clients to better inform multicultural, trauma-informed counseling practices and counselor education pedagogy. This study explored the experiences of race-based …

Telehealth Best Practice: A Call For Standards Of Care, Donna S. Sheperis, Arielle Smith

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Teletherapy is an approach to working with clients that mental health providers have used in some form for years. However, the onset of COVID forced the provision of therapy into teletherapy almost exclusively for a period of time. Currently, mental health providers conducting therapy virtually are not required to be trained in telehealth and are operating without consistent uniform standards of practice. This manuscript pulls from the current literature and guidelines across counseling, psychology, psychiatry, family therapy, and social work to provide a Proposed Standards of Practice for Telehealth. Such standards benefit mental health counselor by grounding practice in common …

The Etiology Of Mdd In Sexual Minority Youth And Its Implications For Treatment, Keith Burns

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Greater tolerance and understanding of homosexuality, transgenderism, and other forms of gender nonconformity have sparked an increased effort to reach out to and help sexual minorities (i.e., groups whose sexual identity, orientation, or practices differ from cisgender heterosexuality), especially those who experience mental health challenges. Despite immense progress in society, deeply rooted social stigma, prejudice, and discrimination have often left sexual minorities feeling bullied, ostracized, and isolated, which tends to reinforce a host of negative mental health outcomes, such as increased risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidality (Hatchel et al., 2018). While mental health clinicians have become increasingly …

A Systematic Review Of Recommendations For Behavioral Health Services For Transgender And Gender Diverse Adults: The Three-Legged Stool Of Evidence-Based Practice Is Unbalanced, Natalie Holt, Allura L. Ralston, Debra A. Hope, Richard Mocarski, Nathan Woodruff

Trans Collaborations Academic Papers

There is a growing literature of clinical recommendations for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) affirming behavioral health care, yet it is unknown to what extent these recommendations are rooted in evidence-based practice (EBP). This systematic review included 65 articles published between 2009 and 2018 with recommendations for behavioral health services with TGD adults, emphasizing general clinical care. Coded variables included type of article, participant demographics, aspects of EBP, and whether care was informed by objective assessment. Most articles did not equally draw from all components of EBP. Recommendations for specific clinical problems are increasingly available and address diversity within TGD …

Children As Mischievous Spirits: Legitimizing Child Cruelty And Filicide In Contemporary Africa, Chima Agazue

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The belief that certain humans are spiritual entities and the belief that some people are spiritually possessed can be found across histories and cultures. While these individuals are not always viewed in the negative or treated inhumanely, cases abound whereby degrading and inhumane treatments are meted out to some of them. In the African continent, certain groups of people, particularly children are linked to certain mischievous spirits due to their unusual appearance, aberrant behavior, disability, chronic illness, psychopathology or exceptional ability. Some are also suspected and consequently mistreated due to events surrounding their birth. Such children are known by different …

Mental Health Outcomes Of Various Types Of Fear Among University Students Who Have An Undocumented Legal Status During The Donald Trump Presidency, Liliana Campos

Doctoral Dissertations

Having an undocumented legal status is a risk factor for mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety among university students. Much of the literature on the experiences of university students who hold an undocumented legal status has primarily focused on better understanding the educational, social, financial, and legal challenges among undergraduate students. The literature has addressed how some of these difficulties impact components of their social and mental health wellness. Yet, there is still a dearth of research focused on further understanding the experiences of students who hold an undocumented legal status from a psychological perspective, and specifically, with …

The Ripple Effect: ‘Training The Trainer’ On The Impact Of Body Image Through A Dance/Movement Therapy Technique, Marina Gearhart

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis describes the capstone project which was a psychoeducation and experiential workshop for fitness trainers. The workshop investigated the impact trainers’ work may have on the body image of their clients through a dance/movement therapy (DMT) technique. The aim was to enhance the trainers’ sensitivity around body image issues of their clients and to create a space for vulnerable movement conversation that may in turn lead to better mental health advocacy for their clients within the scope of ethical practice. The participants of the workshop were six white female identifying trainers ranging from 24 to 35 years of age. …

Community Art For Rebuilding College Communities Following The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review, Amber Haney

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper is an examination of arts-based community engagement projects as a way to creatively engage, support, and endorse healing in college communities. This paper was written with consideration for potential long-term impacts on college students, individually and collectively, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this paper, college student mental health trends in the United States are addressed and existing community engagement projects that center around community, healing, and resilience are examined. This paper argues that art therapy practices that are meant to advance societal healing can occur outside of the traditional, clinical individual or group therapy session …

Using Paper Theatres As An Expressive Arts Therapy Method: Activating Imaginal Worlds In Community Arts Practice, Silvina S. Ibanez

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Paper theatres are an artistic form that became widely popular in 19th century Europe. Also known as toy theatre and model theatre, a paper theatre has a small build-your-own proscenium and pre-cut paper characters that can be manipulated. Different styles of paper theatre can be found in several cultures.

In contemporary art, the use of paper theatres in several modalities led to an exploration of whether such theatres also could be used as an art therapy method. Research was conducted into expressive art therapy principles, Jungian perspectives, and recent studies in neurosciences. The studies included in the literature review confirmed …

Considerations And Reflections On Being A Brazilian - Latina Expressive Arts Therapist Working In Usa, Maiara Bastos

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper focuses on the experience of being a Latina expressive arts therapist working in the United States of America (USA). Through literature review and a personal art-based research process, the definitions of identities, therapeutic relationships, and microaggression are discussed and explored. This paper is theoretically grounded in the notion of expressive arts therapy and gestalt therapy as a means to understand the author’s experiences in the field of counseling. Autoethnography and art-based inquiry are used to conceptualize microaggressions within the therapeutic relationship.

With the intent of increasing awareness about the author’s identities, the expressive arts were used to make …

“Rage Defends Against Overwhelming Loss”: A Literature Review On Women, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, And Anger, Sarah Maeder

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

A literature review examining the difference in anger as a symptom of PTSD based on gender. The focus was on how gender roles and stereotypes impact women’s, as well as providers’, interpretation, expression, acknowledgement, and suppression of anger. By researching civilian survivors of non-combat trauma, the review examined PTSD and symptom discrepancies along a gender divide. Emphasis was placed on the creation of gender as a social construct. Significant nuance was discovered when defining anger, its means of expression, and measurement tools, particularly when interacting with gender. The history of art therapy as a treatment modality for PTSD and anger …

Making Room: Addressing The Counter-Therapeutic Nature Of Psychiatric Hospitalization Through Containment- Based Group Expressive Therapy, Max Sandor Copans

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The process of hospitalization and the environment of a typical psychiatric hospital is often counter-therapeutic. To challenge this problem, clinicians may introduce the concept of psychological containment. To elaborate, being hospitalized anywhere can be disorienting, frightening and even traumatic. This problem is only further exacerbated in psychiatric hospitals where patients may be disorganized, manic, or struggling with psychosis. Furthermore, psychological containment is essentially the ability for psychiatric patients to prevent their intense emotions from effecting others negatively, and to act with resiliency when other patients are unable to contain their own disruptive behaviors. This paper utilizes both an initial literature …

Body Image And The Causes Of Dissatisfactions: Re-Shaping Negative Thinking Through Symbolic Powers Of Collage, Susie Thom

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Understanding why so many individuals struggle with their body image becomes easier by analyzing how society promotes a “thin ideal” through the media, the way women talk to one another about their bodies (a term known as fat talk), social comparisons, and how families advocate for a slender build. Body image refers to our perception, feelings, and actions in regard to our body (Kaslow & Eicher, 1988; Seijo, 2016). Negative thoughts and feelings about one’s body as a result of viewing the media’s unattainable thin ideals, engaging in harmful and negative dialogue about one’s body, comparing one’s body or appearance …

Studio Expressive Arts Therapy: Towards A Classroom Method That Incorporates Art And Music, Michael Greenberg

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explored the ways in which expressive arts therapy (ExAT) could be incorporated into a small therapeutic high school’s visual arts program. Through the development and implementation of a method, intermodal exchange between visual art and music was integrated into both the school’s art program and its group counseling offerings. Informed by a literature review of studio art therapy (SAT) as related to ExAT, three different interventions were used to fit within the frameworks of the high school’s offerings. The first intervention focused on making music with a few students within art classes while the rest of the class …