Counseling Psychology Commons^™

Effects Of Social Support Interventions On Medical Patient Survival: A Meta-Analysis Of Non-Randomized Clinical Trials, Ksenia Illinykh-Bair, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

Background: Prior research confirms that social support promotes resilience among medical patients with chronic illness. Beyond emotional benefits, research has increasingly shown the importance of social support on physical health outcomes. Therefore, identifying and evaluating interventions that increase social support among medical patients with chronic conditions is a priority for healthcare. Methods: This meta-analysis summarized data from 39,493 medical patients across 14 non-randomized trials that had been identified by a prior review of the survival benefits of social support interventions. Results: Across four studies reporting hazard ratio data, the results failed to reach statistical significance (HR = 2.10, 95% CI …

Showpony, George Theodore Ellington

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The poetry collection Showpony focuses on the real-life experiences of a woman in her twenties during the 1970s, who is treated by psychiatrist Dr. Robert J. Stoller at UCLA in a desperate attempt to make her normal. Mrs. G struggles with homicidal and suicidal thoughts, psychosis, as well as her homosexuality and transgender identity. Showpony examines the ways in which psychology has pathologized these experiences and the ramifications for patients, particularly those who have been publicly showcased as examples of their conditions used to train future students. The collection critiques the exploitation of patients by psychiatrists and psychologists, highlighting unethical …

Who Should Be Responding To Mental Health Crises: A Public Perception Study, Bryan E. Phillips

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project includes a survey which will be evaluating, out of Police Officers, Paramedics, and Mental Health Clinicians, who Intro to Psychology students believe are best fit to respond to Mental Health Crises as well as what factors may influence said belief. To do this they will be provided with a survey that collects demographic information, personal experiences with each profession, and detailed scenario-based questions with differing variables allowing the participants to decide which profession they believe is best equipped to deal with each scenario. This data will then be put into a research manuscript to be presented via posterboard …

Moving Positively: A Review Of Positive Psychology Interventions In Counseling, Spencer M. Fleming, Ingrid Weigold Ph. D

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Positive psychology is a relatively new and developing subfield of psychology which examines the machinations and roles of various character strengths and traits such as growth, well-being, meaning, life satisfaction, character strengths, and more. Positive psychology holds various implications for counseling, therapy, individual growth, and self-determination. However, current literature on positive psychology interventions (PPIs) are scattered, nuanced, and lack overall consensus. Thus, encompassing research is necessary to identify common trends, areas for improvement, and a clear direction moving forward. The present review analyzes positive psychology interventions (PPIs) within psychology and counseling. This review examined forty-eight articles, including fifteen meta-analyses, on …

Exploring The Impact Of Inpatient Mental Health Care On Adolescents, Alexandria M. Mckahan

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

Adolescent psychiatric hospitalizations continue to rise, yet there is limited research on which daily practices inside inpatient units genuinely support engagement and recovery. This project examined how structure, staff tone, and therapeutic programming influence adolescents’ participation and emotional stability within a real inpatient setting. The study focused on three questions: how structured routines affect recovery, what challenges staff face when supporting adolescents with complex needs, and how adolescents’ engagement patterns reflect their perception of care. Using a mixed-methods case study at Mesa Springs Behavioral Health Hospital, I conducted approximately twenty field observations, semi-structured staff interviews, and descriptive engagement tracking across …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

Changing The Narrative: A Meta-Analysis Of Narrative Therapy And It's Changes Since Inception, Elijah J. Shriner

Honors Projects

This meta-analysis examines the effectiveness of narrative therapy across 43 studies involving diverse populations and mental health conditions. Studies included randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and case studies, with outcome measures primarily focused on depressive symptoms, interpersonal functioning, and psychological distress. Effect sizes were calculated using Hedges’ g to account for small sample bias. Overall, narrative therapy demonstrated moderate to large positive effects on symptom reduction and client well-being, though variability in study design and reporting limited the precision of some estimates. Findings support narrative therapy as a promising intervention across clinical contexts, while highlighting the need for more rigorous, …

Cultural Self-Harm Differences, Erin E. Simmons

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This study is based on the evident cultural differences in self-harm behaviors and what those behaviors look like specifically for individuals that identify as Black or African American. Previous literature suggests that cultural differences in self-harm exist but very little research centers Black experiences and their connection to self-harm. Self-harm is considered a broad term, and it encompasses a variety of behaviors, some more common than others, but these common behaviors are typically exclusively explored within only a few demographics with a low Black participant pool. This contributes to the assumed lack of self-harm among the Black community but through …

Racial Trauma, Psychosis, And Double Consciousness, Brianna A. Baker

Publications and Research

Key Points

• Black distress is often misdiagnosed as psychosis instead of recognized as a response to racial trauma.
• Double consciousness may explain how racism causes cognitive and emotional strain in Black individuals.
• Racial discrimination is linked to paranoia, dissociation, and hallucinations in Black communities.

Music Therapy In The Scope Of Psychology: From Asylums To Contemporary Practice, Rachel A. Mirsen

Psychology from the Margins

This paper explores the historical ties between music therapy and psychology, tracing its evolution from its origins in asylums to contemporary practice. By examining historical records and recent case studies, the dynamic interplay between music therapy, psychological practices, and sociocultural factors is highlighted. The paper compares the use of music therapy in the 20th century, particularly in psychiatric asylums, to its modern-day applications, focusing on two healthcare facilities in New Jersey: Overbrook Hospital and Bancroft NeuroRehab. Through this comparison, it becomes evident that music therapy has gained legitimacy and specialization over time, transitioning from recreational activities to evidence-based, individualized interventions …

Embodied Affliction: Somalis’ Perception Of Trauma, Ahmed M. Hassan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Somali immigrants and refugees have a high rate of trauma, mainly because of their traumatic experiences during the Somali civil war and subsequent migration. Nevertheless, they do not readily access available psychological services in the countries to which they migrate. Research of the past two decades has revealed that different cultures conceptualize and communicate mental distress differently from one another. Those differences affect how Western mental health providers approach the treatment of clients who immigrate from an unfamiliar culture to Western countries, where the biomedical model of mental health dominates the health care system. Improved cultural awareness and communication between …

The Psychological Impacts Of Homeland Havoc Among First-Generation Raised Americans: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Raneem Kurzum

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The current study explored the psychological experiences of first-generation raised U.S. citizens whose ancestral homelands are affected by ongoing or recent havoc. First-generation raised Americans are defined as the first-generation to be born in the U.S. or those who immigrated to the U.S. during infancy (less than two years of age). While research on trauma, resilience, and identity has previously addressed collective and intergenerational responses within culturally homogenous groups, few studies have examined the cross-cultural psychological impact of homeland turmoil among diverse diasporic populations living in the U.S.

Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this qualitative study employed semi-structured individual interviews …

Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, Lynn Murphy

Dissertations

This phenomenological study involved assessing the experiences of Black therapists who engaged Black clients in outdoor therapeutic contexts. The study was founded on the existing literature that shows the quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal for client retention and the Western standards that have historically favored treatment within indoor environments. To contextualize this research, a comprehensive literature review was commenced, covering topics such as the decolonization of therapy, the historical and present-day relationship between Blacks and the outdoors in the United States, sedentary lifestyles, the psychological benefits of time spent in nature, various types of outdoor therapy, and the …

A Force To Be Reckoned With: Testimonios From Latina/E Senior Leaders Across Psychology Contexts, Sandra Bertram Grant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latinas currently make up 76% of overall Latino/a/e participation in psychology (American Psychological Association, 2022); however, the numbers of Latinas in top echelon leadership positions are low (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021, 2022). Notedly, the information on the current state of Latine representation in the field of psychology is even more limited. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the testimonios of eight Latina/es regarding their professional development, decision making process, pursuit, and persistence in leadership positions, particularly within the field of psychology. This study is guided by Testimonio (Huber, 2009) as the methodological approach and analysis, …

Navigating Intersectional Identities: Mental Health Challenges And Accessibility To Mental Health Care Among Sub-Saharan Migrant Women In Morocco, Soraya Babahaji

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since the beginning of the 21st century, as Morocco transitions from solely being a transit point to Europe to becoming a destination country for Sub-Saharan migrants, policies have been implemented to improve migrant integration. Morocco launched the National Strategy on Immigration and Asylum in 2015 which strives to ensure accessibility to essential services for migrants, such as education, healthcare, and integration into the workforce. In addition, through the 2013 New Migration Policy framework, King Mohammed VI aims to “include avenues for regularization” to help migrants integrate into Moroccan society.

This paper addresses how intersecting factors of identity can lead to …

The Lived Experience Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Among Mandate-Resistant Adults In Washington State, Amber N. Peterson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examined the lived experience of self-identified, mandate-resistant adults in Washington state. This study explored participants’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, from a retrospective framework by uncovering challenges, silver linings, decision-making, and self-reported mental health. Remote interviews were conducted with nine participants. Participants were between 23–31 years old, mostly male, and over half identified as Black. Through semi structured interviews, data was collected and analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants described their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted significant changes in the way they lived their lives. Most notably, participants described ways in which they defied COVID-19 …

More Than “Just A Friend”: Exploring The Therapeutic Needs Of Adult Survivors Of A Suicide Loss Of A Friend, Kat R. Mcconnell

Dissertations (1934 -)

Individuals who are bereaved by the suicide loss of a loved one (also known as “suicide survivors”) face high rates of complicated grief, mental illness, social isolation, experiences of stigma, and suicide attempts. While suicide loss therapy (or “postvention”) attracts many individuals grieving familial suicides, those impacted by the suicide loss of a close friend are underrepresented in both individual and group therapies, despite indications that friend suicide survivors are impacted at an equivalent level and frequency to family members. Using a constructivist grounded theory method, this study aimed to investigate the lived experiences and therapeutic needs of 8 adults …

Recentering Psych Stats, Lynette Bikos

Faculty Open Access Books

To center a variable in regression means to set its value at zero and interpret all other values in relation to this reference point. Regarding race and gender, researchers often center male and White at zero. Further, it is typical that research vignettes in statistics textbooks are similarly seated in a White, Western (frequently U.S.), heteronormative, framework. ReCentering Psych Stats seeks to provide statistics training for psychology students (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral) in a socially and culturally responsive way. All lessons use the open-source statistics program, R (and its associated packages). Each chapter includes a screencast lesson, features a workflow …

Exploring The Dimensions Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Affirmative Clinical Supervision, Lindsey N. Dollar

Dissertations

Graduate programs have continued to improve over time regarding incorporating training on LGB issues into coursework and practicum experiences with less emphasis on supervision. Since supervision is a major training area where therapists learn about clients and themselves, it becomes an important area for also teaching supervisees how to work with minority populations. However, relatively absent from discussions of cultural influences in supervision is a focus on LGB concerns, and missing is the ‘how to’ within the supervisory relationship. This quantitative investigation sought to learn how clinical supervisors with knowledge of LGB issues and people implement LGB-affirmative supervision, and to …

The Impact Of Gendered Racial And Bisexual Microaggressions On The Access To Decent Work For Black Bisexual Women: An Examination Of The Moderation And Mediation Effects Of Work Volition And Proactive Personality, Angela Chloe Lewis

Dissertations

This purpose of this research was to examine the impact on gendered racial microaggressions and bisexual microaggressions on the ability to access decent work for Black bisexual women. The mediation effect of proactive personality on the relationship between gendered racial microaggressions and bisexual microaggressions with decent work was explored in this study. The moderation effect of proactive personality on the relationship between gendered racial microaggressions and bisexual microaggressions with decent work was explored in this study as well. Gendered racial microaggressions was measured using the Gendered Racial Microaggression Scale (GRMS; Lewis & Neville, 2015). Bisexual microaggressions was measured by the …

Sports, Family, And Leadership In Youth: Impacts Of Family Environments And Sport Participation On Youth Leadership Development, Michael Stout

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study investigated the effects of family relationships/environment and sport participation on youth leadership development using the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) questionnaire. Responses from 9^th and 11^th graders were used, resulting in 81,885 total participants between the ages of 13 and 19 for this archival, cross-sectional study. This study had two aims: One, to investigate the relationship between family relationships/environment and sport participation, and their impact on youth leadership skills and development; and two, to investigate whether participation in youth sports provides enough scaffolding to foster the development of youth leadership skills despite poor family relationships/environments. Scales …

Agreement Of Psychiatric Diagnoses Within And Between Groups Of Mental Health Clinicians From Different Disciplines, Wade Mcguire

Dissertations

The development of therapy as a treatment option for mental health problems has led to the creation of different disciplines. Each discipline has developed its own conceptualization of classification and treatment of mental health problems. These conceptualizations have led to different areas of focus for each of the disciplines, specifically counseling, psychology, and social work. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether these areas of focus influence how each discipline diagnoses. For this study, data was collected by having clinicians provide diagnoses for three fictitious clients. The vignettes for the clients were taken from a psychopathology textbook to …

The Impact Of Digital And Traditional Coloring On Death Anxiety In Older Adults, Heejoo Roh, Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso, Cindy Miller-Perrin

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The purpose of this study was to examine if coloring mandalas digitally or traditionally has a different impact in reducing death anxiety among older adults. Using random assignment, we compared digital (n = 22) and traditional (n = 26) coloring to a non-art distraction activity (completing a word puzzle; n = 21) for levels of death anxiety following a death anxiety induction. We hypothesized that both digital and traditional coloring conditions would result in lower levels of death anxiety compared to the non-art activity, but that traditional coloring would result in the lowest levels of death anxiety. In addition, we …

“By That Daughter’S Most Devoted Affection”: Anxious And Avoidant Attachments In Opie’S Adeline Mowbray, Meghan E. Hodges

Comparative Woman

Attachment theory, or the theory that one’s personality and social development is informed greatly by the infant-parent bond, largely arises in the 1950s with the work of John Bowlby. Although the phenomenon was only then beginning to be scientifically evaluated, it has long been observed that the relationship one has with one’s parents is a determinant factor in one’s development. This work investigates the impact of the failure to heal the insecure attachment Amelie Opie’s Adeline Mowbray (1808). Adeline, having grown up in her distant mother’s intellectual shadow, develops a neurotic attachment to her mother which causes romantic maladjustment in …

Full Issue Salubritas 2 (2022)

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

Full issue of Salubritas, Volume 2

Faith-Based Counseling Versus Traditional Psychotherapy: A Phenomenological Evaluation Of African American Protestant Experiences, Shannon Gray

Dissertations

This phenomenological study was designed to evaluate the experiences of African American Christian adult clients within traditional psychotherapy and faith-based counseling settings. Research has shown various therapist/counselor identities affect Christian African American clients, and that Christians as well as African Americans have historically been less likely to pursue traditional psychotherapy for a variety of reasons. Participants were six African American Christian adult participants (three traditional psychotherapy participants and three faith-based counseling participants). All participants were asked open-ended questions about their experiences in traditional psychotherapy or faith-based counseling. In addition, they were asked to evaluate several aspects of their therapy/counseling experience …

Feminist Supervision, Supervisor Multicultural Competence, And Supervisee Counseling Outcomes, Rachael N. Dabkowski

ETD Archive

Supervision in the field of psychology is an essential practice that has significant implications for a supervisee’s success in their academic program, therapist identity and ability to become an independent professional. This study explored the perceptions of supervisees of how multiculturally competent they believed their supervisor to be and how much they believed their supervisor utilized feminist principles in supervision. Limited research has suggested that the modality of supervision and competence of a supervisor can be important factors in determining supervisee outcomes. Important to the current study were supervisee counseling self-efficacy, client empowerment, active commitment, and satisfaction in supervision. Data …

Fear Of Failure, Mindfulness, And Procrastination, Jose M. Parlade

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Procrastination is a complex behavior with often negative consequences. Prior studies have found a positive correlation between procrastination and various negative emotional states, such as fear of failure. Conversely, specific mindfulness techniques, have been negatively associated with procrastination in prior research. The current study set out to examine the correlations of fear of failure and procrastination as well as those of mindfulness and procrastination. A sample of university students (n=310) were assessed using three scales: the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PFAI), the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS), and the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS). Results indicated a significant positive correlation …

The Effectiveness Of Peer To Peer Mentoring In Reducing Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In College Students, Ryan Harra

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

University counseling centers are struggling against resource constraints to meet the rising demand for mental health care. Peer-based mentoring programs offer the potential for an alternative approach to mitigate the increasing demand for treatment and improve overall psychological well-being among college students. However, research investigating peer mentoring programs on college campuses is lacking. This study evaluates program feasibility and potential effectiveness in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms among college students that underwent a 4-week peer mentoring program. Results from this preliminary study indicate peer-based programs may be more effective in reducing symptoms of depression (especially anhedonic depression) compared to anxiety. …

Experiences Of Chinese American Psychology Trainees In Multicultural Education, Helen Weng-Ian Chao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although research has established that students of color have unique experiences in their multicultural training, few studies have examined the experiences and needs of specific subgroups of students of color. This study examined Chinese American psychology trainees’ experiences in multicultural education. Qualitative data was collected from individual semi-structured interviews with Chinese American doctoral students (N = 6). Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to understand participants’ perceptions of their experiences in multicultural courses. Data analysis resulted in four themes: the (1) burden of being minoritized, (2) Chinese American identity inflection points, being (3) sidelined by whiteness, and (4) …