Counseling Commons^™

Investigating The Impact Of The Fava Well-Being Protocol On Perceived Stress And Psychological Well-Being With At-Promise High School Students, Renee L. Fensom

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

An elevation in stress levels can be caused by many contributing factors, which can ultimately interfere with the learning of young people. Fortunately, an increase in well being can help promote resilience, creating a buffer to stress. Therefore, the current study investigated the influence of a positive psychology intervention aimed at lowering perceived stress and increasing well-being among at-promise students. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Ryff’s Model of Psychological Well-Being (PWB). The specific intervention used was the Well-being Therapy School Protocol developed by Fava and associates, based off of Carol Ryff’s Model of PWB (Fava, 2016). …

Non-Religious Employee's Perceptions Of Microaggressions And Their Relationship With Job Satisfaction As Moderated By Calling, Jessica Schultz

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between microaggressions, person-organization fit (P-O fit), job satisfaction, and calling in non-religious individuals. Established research demonstrates that job satisfaction is predicted by P-O fit (Dawis, 2005). Research with minority groups has found that microaggressions are negatively related to P-O fit and job satisfaction (Lyons, Velez, Mehta, & Neil, 2014). However, research has yet to examine these interactions with a non-religious population. Previous investigations have found that calling is positively correlated with both P-O fit and job satisfaction (Duffy & Dik, 2013; Duffy, Allan, & Dik, 2011; Hirschi, 2012), suggesting the …

On Exiting From Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Insights From Sex Trade Experienced Persons, Andrea Heinz

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

As a woman who exited after seven years in licensed commercial sexual exploitation in Canada, I share my reflections on my experience, which led to the development of the Insights from Sex Trade Experienced Persons (InSTEP) Model. The model was constructed based on interviews with “service providers” in the sex trade. Twelve exited women share their experiences inclusively. InSTEP is geared toward a population of quasi-autonomous providers who have alternate economic options. Three levels are introduced in the InSTEP model to describe the continuum of agency among service providers; Level 1: trafficked/controlled; Level 2: quasi-autonomous; Level 3: autonomous. The InSTEP …

Protecting Healthcare Workers From Violence, Terry L. Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Growing violence in the community increases the risks of injuries to healthcare workers. This project assessed the levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and acknowledgment of professional accomplishments in healthcare workers in the community who were responsible for the care of confused and combative clients. The community healthcare workers were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey-Medical Personnel. An intervention was then presented, which focused on self-awareness, including mood assessments, soothing rhythmic breathing, compassionate focused imagery, and the creation of a safe place to process criticism compassionately. The participants were resurveyed after 30 days by repeating the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human …

The Multigenerational Transmission Process Of Healing Social Cultural Wounds Within The Black Community: A Comprehensive Analysis, Adeola Quintero

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article examines the multigenerational transmission process of healing social cultural wounds within the black community. A comprehensive research analysis of slavery, racial trauma and racism along with the events surrounding their existence in our contemporary society are explored. Revealed throughout this framework are the theories literature has posited as solutions to racial wounds such as the ‘black self-concept’, ‘Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome,’ ‘Bowen’s Multigenerational Transmission Process,’ ‘racialized disease narrative’ and the introduction of the “social cultural wounds’ concept. 15 recommendations are suggested for addressing the racial healing work within individual, institutional, and systemic healing. Current theory, models, scales assessment …

Gateways For Transformation, Amitice L. Saremi

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

Big life transitions, typically resulting from loss, can cause physical, emotional, and behavioral problems. Using a heuristic methodology, this article answers the question: Given polyvagal theory, how can yoga and depth psychology combine to support clients to make transitions more easily? Polyvagal theory hypothesizes that the vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve, impacts impact many parts of the body related to physical and mental health. Breathing helps the vagus nerve function properly along with self-regulation, homeostasis, and the social engagement system. Yoga and depth psychology recognize the continuous cycles of life that exist in nature, the constancy of change, the …

Changing The Narrative For Lgbtq Adolescents: A Literature Review And Call For Research Into Narrative Therapy To Improve Family Acceptance Of Lgbtq Teens, Felicia Jordan

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

A large body of existing research has demonstrated the importance of family acceptance as a protective factor for LGBTQ youth facing increased risks of low self-esteem, depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental-health problems. However, little research has been done on therapeutic interventions for families specifically to address stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ adolescents. In particular, narrative therapy, with its focus on deconstructing and re-storying oppressive cultural narratives, seems a natural fit, but little to no quantitative research has been done on family-based narrative therapy for LGBTQ adolescents, and only a handful of qualitative studies have been published. Therefore, the paper …

Exploring The Locker, Haley Bagley

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article is an effort to foster grace and to create genuine, humble community. A new sense of community, that is not conditional on our abilities to censor ourselves to be more palatable to those around us. Instead, the birth of a new way of relating that considers our deep inner selves that feel shame, remember traumas, and cower in fear of these experiences. Perhaps most of all, this article is an invitation to explore our deepest inner selves, and the cost of censoring this self. This exploration is not a leisurely dive into the corners of ourselves that lie …

An Essay Concerning The Possibility Of A Unified Theory Of Counseling, Lance Kair

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The Object-Oriented Ontology of Graham Harman, also known as Object-Oriented Philosophy, presumes to describe an ontology of all objects, including human beings. This essay shows how the discipline of counseling can benefit from such an ontology of objects. To move into this particular case of an Object-Oriented Ontology of human beings, and to distinguish, initially, at least, between the object that we are now concerned with, or will be soon, and the universe of subjectivity, I propose that we refer to universal objects, which is to indicate objects that exist in the universe, however we might define it. In this …

The Role Of Practice-Based Evidence And Feedback Informed Treatment For Improving Therapy Outcomes, Daryl Mahon

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

Attrition rates and deterioration of counselling and psychotherapy clients are two major concerns for those delivering psychological therapies across differential modalities. While a variety of correlations are said to contribute to attrition and deterioration such as, client, therapist and clinical level, identifying and improving outcomes for this cohort of people in routine practice is difficult. Even with the addition of hundreds of empirically supported treatments added to the profession, outcomes have not improved in line with these new approaches. Methods to limit the extent of poor outcomes has been established in the extent literature, thus, practice-based evidence is put forward …

Introducing Feedback Informed Preference Accommodation (Fipa): A Case Study In Clinical Practice, Daryl Mahon

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

Psychotherapy is a successful modality for those who engage in and complete a course of treatment. However, attrition rates and negative outcomes make up a significant and under discussed proportion of clinicians’ case load in routine practice. Innovative and novel methods to address these issues have been identified within the extant literature. However, their uptake can be impacted by issues such as utility and brevity. The present paper seeks to establish a framework for integrating Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) and the Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NPI) in clinical practice. That is, using the C-NPI for initial preference accommodation and following …

Using Therapeutic Photography Techniques To Increase The Wellbeing Of College Students, Licia Tourigny, Ivelina Naydenova

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

In this study the benefits of therapeutic photography techniques were analyzed for people with varying degrees of depression and anxiety. In study 1, participants were placed in groups after taking the Beck’s Depression Inventory. After they were placed in groups, they also took Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and the Life Satisfaction Scale. For four weeks, participants were asked to take pictures of what makes them happy and share and discuss them with their groups. After four weeks, they took all three inventories a second time. We found significant results between the pretest and posttest scores of the depression and anxiety inventories; …

Promote Healing And Restore Lives: Clinicians’ Reflections On Their Experiences In Working With Survivors Of Trafficking, Brittany Burch

McNair Scholars Research

Humans are shaped by their personal beliefs, values, and individual philosophies of life. Personal ideologies of humanitarian aid can root a deep desire to provide help and assistance to the vulnerable within our community. This desire often manifests itself specifically in clinicians seeking to provide healing, hope, and restoration in the lives of women and men. (Thullesen, 2019). Human trafficking is a prominent human rights and social justice issue that is embedded within our society. This study focused on clinicians’ experiences and perspectives in working with victims of human trafficking.

The data was collected through interviews of clinicians working directly …

Exploring The Influence Of Gender, Race, And Academic Rank On Faculty Bullying In Counselor Education, Adrianne L. Johnson

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

While there is much published research into faculty incivility, there is no existing research on bullying in Counselor Education. Data from Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R; Einarsen, Hoel, & Notelaers, 2009) revealed reports of faculty bullying related to gender, race, and academic rank. Limitations and implications for the profession are discussed.

An In-Depth Exploration Of Clinical Patterns Within Spiritually Integrated Therapy, Russell Neilend Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

The last 3 decades have seen a dramatic increase in the creation and effective use of spiritually integrated therapy (SIT) for a wide variety of client populations and clinical issues. The outcome research on SIT has increased and improved dramatically, yet process research on SIT has lagged somewhat. While valuable, prior process-oriented studies on SIT have used retrospective survey methods and asked about generalized usage rates of predetermined spiritual interventions. Rather than relying on retrospective reports of SIT with clients, there is great value and likely greater accuracy in examining session-by-session usage of SIT with clients and identifying correlational patterns …

Feasibility And Validity Of Asking Patients To Define Individual Levels Of Meaningful Change On Patient-Reported Outcomes, Salene M.W. Jones, Yuxian Du, Ari Bell-Brown, Kaylin Bolt, Joseph M. Unger

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are frequently used in clinical care to monitor treatment response. However, most guidelines on PRO use treat all patients the same. This study tested the feasibility and validity of a method for determining individually meaningful change in PRO measures.

Methods: Participants (n = 398) completed 12 pain and distress questions to define individually meaningful change. This mixed-methods study used both quantitative and qualitative analyses, including descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and content analysis.

Results: Two-thirds (67%) of the sample reported at least one medical condition, including depression and back pain. Most participants (70%–90%) were able to answer …

Online Civic Engagements Among College Students: Exploring Well-Being, Tanupreet Suri

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Ways in which college students use social media for civic engagements and how that usage interplays with their identity development and general well-being have been explored in this study. Civic engagement among college students is imperative to their growth and development. Additionally, social networking sites (SNS) have a great potential for fostering a sense of community and enhancing wellbeing. Thus, how college students’ online civic engagement and general wellbeing interplay was examined. This study employed an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) alongside photo elicitation to explore the experiences of college students. Key findings suggest online civic engagements interplays with college students’ …

International Student Perceptual Challenges And Coping Within Higher Education, Edmund Martelli

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Edmund Martelli on July 24, 2020.

Understudied And Underfunded: Potential Causes Of Mass Shootings And Implications For Counseling Research, Rebecca G. Cowan, Rebekah F. Cole

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Mass shootings are becoming more commonplace in our society. Despite this increase in frequency, research on mass violence has lagged behind due to halted federal research funding. Counselors and other mental health professionals find themselves at the forefront of this issue due to the contentious debate surrounding the intersection of mental health issues and mass shootings. The purpose of this article is to increase awareness of the cause of this dearth of research, examine what is currently known in the limited scholarly literature, and discuss what still needs to be explored. Implications for positive social change and advocacy efforts are …

Examining Empathy And Advocacy Competencies In Professional School Counselors, Amanda Winburn, Alex Kerwin, Amy King, Maegan Johnson Tatum

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

In this quantitative study, the relationship between levels of empathy and perceptions of advocacy competencies among a national sample of professional school counselors are examined. Results of this study indicate there is a statistically significant relationship between school counselor’s level of empathy according to the Empathy Assessment Index (EAI) and level of advocacy according to the Advocacy Competencies Self-Assessment (ACSA). Professional implications as well as implications for training future school counselors are explored.