Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Commons^™

Marriage And Family Therapy And The Law: Discovering Systemic Common Ground, Jason C. Richards

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many important decisions regarding couples and families are made by the legal system. However, this system’s adversarial nature often results in relational losses for clients, even when one “wins” a case. Some believe a solution may exist in legally-minded marriage and family therapists, who, as experts in family systems theory, are in a unique position to help facilitate healing in a flawed, but well-meaning family court system (Brooks & Madden, 2012; Madden, 2008). However, the literature reveals that new therapists may lack appropriate legal knowledge when they graduate, suggesting a need for different preparation by marriage and family therapy programs …

The Relationship Between Relational Aggression And Sexual Satisfaction: Investigating The Mediating Role Of Attachment Behaviors, Melece Vida Meservy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between relational aggression and sexual satisfaction, as well as the mediating role of attachment on this relationship. Data came from the Relationship Evaluation Survey (RELATE) comprised of the matched-pair responses of 797 couples in serious dating, engaged, or married relationships. Results showed the greater the perceived relational aggression the lower the sexual satisfaction for both self and partner, regardless of gender. Additionally, it appears a more satisfying sexual relationship can occur when an individual experiences a secure attachment base and can feel confident that his/her relationship is safe. For both …

A Longitudinal Examination Of Parental Psychological Control And Externalizing Behavior In Adolescents With Adolescent Internalized Shame As A Mediating Variable, Iesha Renee Nuttall

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parental psychological control and adolescent externalizing behavior with adolescent internalized shame acting as a mediating variable. Gender differences were also examined. Three hundred eleven two-parent families with an adolescent were included in this study, 154 were male adolescents (Mean age at wave 6 = 16.28 years, SD = .98) and 157 were female adolescents (Mean age at wave 6 = 16.21 years, SD = .99). Results indicate that parental psychological control for both mothers and fathers at wave 4 was positively related to adolescent externalizing behavior for both boys …

Implicit Family Process Rules Specific To Eating-Disordered Families, Mallory Rebecca Wolfgramm

Theses and Dissertations

Family environment is a significant factor in the development of eating disorders in young-adult females. Clinical experience, research and theories about eating disorders indicate that constrictive implicit process rules within a family are correlated with eating-disordered families. This study identified implicit family process rules that are unique to eating-disordered families and how well these rules predict membership in eating-disordered and non-eating-disordered families. One hundred and two families (51 eating-disordered and 51 comparison families) participated in the study. Mothers, fathers, young-adult female children, and siblings in each family completed the Family Implicit Rules Profile (FIRP). The design included cluster analysis of …

Children And Parents Deserve Better Parental Discipline Research: Critiquing The Evidence For Exclusively “Positive” Parenting, Robert E. Larzelere, Marjorie Lindner Gunnoe, Mark W. Roberts, Christopher J. Ferguson

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

This article critiques the scientific evidence for the emerging view in nonclinical parenting research and in popular books that parents should use only positive methods of parenting and rarely resort to any disciplinary consequences. Four methodological fallacies pervade research used to support this viewpoint: the correlational fallacy (inferring causation from correlations), the trumping fallacy (permitting correlational conclusions to trump stronger causal evidence), the extrapolation fallacy (extrapolating favorable comparisons of under-usage versus over-usage to zero usage), and the lumping fallacy (lumping inappropriate and appropriate usages together). Conclusions based on any of these methodological fallacies are premature at best and counterproductive at …

Conversation Analysis Of Michael White’S Decentered And Influential Position, Dragana Ilic

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The relationship between the therapist and the client is an important consideration for most models of therapy, with all models of therapy emphasizing the importance of establishing a positive therapeutic relationship. Quantitative and qualitative studies have shown that the relationship between the therapist and the client is a predictor of positive outcomes. However, different models define the preferred therapeutic relationship differently. This study was a qualitative exploration of a decentered and influential position of the therapist in narrative therapy. A video of a one-session narrative therapy case conducted by Michael White was analyzed using conversation analysis to answer the following …

Addictions Content Published In Counseling Journals: A 10-Year Content Analysis To Inform Research And Practice, Edward Wahesh, S. Elizabeth Likis-Werle, Regina R. Moro

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This content analysis includes 210 articles that focused on addictions topics published between January 2005 and December 2014 in the journals of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), Chi Sigma Iota (CSI), the American Counseling Association (ACA), and ACA member divisions. Results include the types of addictions content and behaviors studied as well as the populations and data analytic techniques used in the addictions research articles. Whereas most articles discussed addictions counseling techniques, addictions issues among non-clinical populations, and professional practice issues, fewer articles addressed clients in treatment, utilized clinical populations, or analyzed intervention outcomes. Implications for addictive behaviors …

A Conversation Analysis Of Therapist-Client Interactional Patterns In Single Session Therapy: A Researcher's Interpretation, Nozomu Ozaki

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

In response to the growing awareness of the issue of accessibility to mental health services (World Health Organization, 2013), single session therapy (SST) has been implemented in various settings throughout the world. (Hoyt &Talmon, 2014b; Miller, 2008; Miller & Slive, 2004; Talmon, 2014). Although there has been much advancement in the knowledge and application of SST, an understanding of therapist-client interactional patterns that enfold in SST is extremely scarce. In this study, I investigated how therapists collaboratively improved the talk in SST turn by turn in such a way that promoted therapeutic improvement. I utilized conversation analysis (Sacks et al., …

Counselor In Training 360 Degree Case Conceptualization Process For Group Supervision, Meredith A. Rausch, Laura L. Gallo

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article introduces a developmental process for case conceptualization practice during group supervision based on the underpinnings of the Integrative Developmental Model presented by Stoltenberg and McNeill (2010) and Mindsets by Dweck (2006). The design incorporates a strengths-based method encouraging reflective practice and risk-taking. Practical methods for group interaction and discussion are presented.

Exploring The Experience Of Separation In Australia: Perspectives From Formerly Married And Cohabiting Parents, Sarah M. Barbas

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The increase in separation and divorce rates during the 20th century brought with it many far-reaching social implications for all involved, sparking a high level of interest among researchers. Most research in this area has been approached from stress frameworks that have conceptualised separation and divorce as a stressful life transition that individuals must adjust to. Yet, attempts to understand separation and divorce to date have been dominated by quantitative methods that have resulted in a relatively static and objective understanding of this experience; particularly in Australia. Furthermore, although international rates of divorce are declining, rates of separation following cohabiting …

Helicopter Parenting Of College Students, Lindsey R. Pautler

Masters Theses

Popular media often features stories about 'helicopter parenting' and asserts that this style is detrimental to youngsters (c.f., Fingerman, Cheng, Wesselmann, Zarit, Furstenberg, & Birditt, 2012; LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011). However, few studies have examined the phenomenon empirically (Fingerman et al., 2012), particularly in a college population. The few existing studies of 'helicopter parenting' have evaluated different facets of this parenting style (e.g., intrusive parenting, inappropriate contact with school personnel), which makes comparing research results difficult. This paper discusses the literature on 'helicopter parenting' and discusses the initial steps in the development of a new comprehensive assessment of 'helicopter parenting' …

Formative Evaluation Of A Family Cooperation Board Game, Joseph Hannan

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

A lack of credible evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of play therapy and the use of therapeutic board game in play therapy exists (Phillips, 2010; Matorin, 1996). Parent involvement is a key variable in the effectiveness of play therapy (Kottman, Stother, and Deniger, 2001). Formative research was used in this study to evaluate of The Super Family Board Game™ (SFBG) in order to develop an effective therapeutic board game aimed at enhancing family cooperation and cohesion. As the first formative evaluation of a therapeutic board game, this study provides future research implications for developing and testing therapeutic board games.

Couples And Weight Loss Surgery: Experiencing Success, Amanda L. Westmoreland

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery (WLS) is an intervention for individuals who are suffering from obesity and weight-related health complications which often accompany being 100 pounds or more overweight (Smith et al., 2011). Even though bariatric surgery has been shown to be a life-saving and life-enhancing operation, efforts to seek out surgery options, qualify and prepare for the procedure, recover from surgery, and then adapt new routines to support surgery are challenging not only for the patient, but also for the people with whom the patient spends the most time—their romantic partners (Applegate & Friedman, 2008; Bylund, …

Obstacles To Graduation: A Look At Poverty’S Effect On Academic Work, Julia M. Bernard, Maike Klein

ETSU Faculty Works

Our presentation was aimed at providing a thorough overview of concepts that interfere with an adolescent’s ability to stay in school and graduate. Additionally, the presentation addressed what other factors of poverty, such as risk-taking behaviors (e.g., marijuana use, binge drinking, or sexual activity), might carry over into college life and affect a student’s academic career. Variables connected to family community, family responsibilities, and adolescents’ self-esteem were described as well. Finally, the presentation discussed factors that play into a student’s willingness to seek out college campus resources for support. With this paper, we hope to outline variables that lead to …

Ballroom Dancing In Conjunction With Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy: Increasing Emotional Connections Through Non-Verbal Communication, Shana B. Kronish

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), and ballroom dance have each been found to be beneficial in developing individual and interpersonal verbal and non-verbal communication and emotional awareness; however, very little research has been performed on the combined therapeutic use of any of these modalities. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with therapists and ballroom dance instructors who work with couples in order to facilitate dialogue regarding the limitations and benefits of therapy and ballroom dance. The core theme of this study was the ‘Interest in Application.’ The eleven additional themes that evolved were ‘Benefits of …

Ibusy: Research On Children, Families, And Smartphones, Bill R. Garris, Lindsay Lester, Erin Doran, Andrea Lowery

ETSU Faculty Works

Within the past 10 years, mobile devices have been widely adopted by adults and are now present in the lives of almost all U.S. children. While phones are common, our understanding of what effect this technology has upon children's development is lagging. Bioecological theory and attachment theory suggest that this new technology may be disruptive, especially to the degree to which it interferes with the parent-child relationship. This article reflects a National Organization for Human Services conference presentation and shares preliminary results from semi-structured interviews conducted with 18 youth, ages 7 through 11. Only four of eighteen interviewees voiced any …

Childhood Abuse Types And Adult Relational Violence Mediated By Adult Attachment Behaviors And Romantic Relational Aggression In Couples, Tabitha Nicole Webster

Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated how three distinct types of childhood abuse—witnessing of parental domestic violence, experiencing physical abuse and total in-home violence, and experiencing sexual abuse—predicted partner reports of relational violence through the mediating factors self-perceptions of attachment and partner reports of relational aggression. The study used paired dyadic data from 1,658 couples who had completed the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE). The Family Violence, the Brief Accessibility and Responsiveness, Couples Relational Aggression and Victimization, and the Conflict Tactics scales were the measures used. Data was analyzed by using structural equation modeling to estimate an actor-partner interdependence model exploring these relationships. Results …

Singled In Later Life: Interaction Effects On Family Relations And Health, Hyunsook Kang Ph.D.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This study examines the interaction effects on health and family relations of singled and non-singled older adults. In this study, family relations comprised family criticism and family demands. Data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) survey were used (57-85 years of age (n=3005). This current study reflects a secondary analysis of the NSHAP data and hypothesized that life-long singled older adults’ health differentially influenced family relation such as family criticism and demands. This study, built on the Convoy Model to account for how singled older adults’ health, is differentially associated with their family criticism …

Military: Family Of Origins And Life Cycles, Linda C. Osterlund

Annual Faculty Scholars Reception

An in-depth study of military family life cycle including adult development. The impact of transitions such as deployment, career, marriage, divorce, and death at different stages of the family life cycle as guides to therapeutic understanding.

Actually, Let’S Not Talk About Sex: The Value-Laden Sex Education Received By China’S Young Women, Allyson Tsu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research explored China’s sex education and the values it imparts to China’s young women. Findings indicate that although young women wish to learn about safe sex and sexuality from both schools and parents, communication is restricted by both parties embarrassment, lack of preparation, and fear that open dialogue on such topics will promote sexual activity.

The study found that while sex education classes were informative on physiological topics, in participants' perceptions, they lacked information on safe sex (i.e. use of contraceptives) by sticking to the abstinence narrative, and assuming—or pretending—that China’s young people are not engaging in sex. Although …