Counseling Commons^™

Pornography: Adolescent Brain Development & Addiction, William K. Canady

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation will explain the historical development of pornography. It will highlight three segments: 1- Porn’s impact on brain development of reward pathways, ultimately increasing the appetite for more porn. 2- Porn can be a false substitute for real intimacy, resulting in decreased sexual satisfaction with a real person and increased verbal and physical aggression. 3- Porn promotes sex trafficking, promotes multiple sex partners and reduced STD prevention.

Widowhoods Effect On Careers, Jessica Lindahl, Jia Lee

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Nearly one million people in the United States each year are widowed.⁵ The majority of these individuals continue to maintain employment.⁵ It is critical to examine the impact of widowhood on career maintenance and development. Widowers experience challenges related to identity confusion⁴, depression¹, role changes¹⁰, and financial stress⁴, all of which can adversely impact functioning at work. These challenges exist for widowers who continue in their current employment after the death of their spouse, as well as for those who may enter the world of work out of necessity upon …

Preliminary Efficacy Of Motivational Interviewing On Problem Drinkers 55 And Older Compared To Younger Counterparts, Alexis Kuerbis, Sijing Shao, Nehal Vadhan, Jon Morgenstern

Publications and Research

Background: Older adults who drink problematically are the largest group of substance users among those 55 and older. This group often chooses moderation as a goal instead of abstinence, and motivation and self-efficacy are found to have less of an impact on drinking compared to younger adults. No study has examined age effects (specifically 55 and older vs. younger counterparts) on motivational interviewing (MI) compared to brief advice with a sample that includes individuals over 65. Objective: To explore the moderating impact of age on heavy drinkers’ (aged M=50.7 years SD=11.6, range 23-73) response to MI. Methods: Data …

Predictors And Impact Of Psychotherapy Side Effects In Young Adults, Tierney K. Lorenz

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

What should we tell our younger clients—who may or may not have chosen to come to therapy—about possible risks of engaging in psychotherapy? To explore this question, we examined psychotherapy side effects in 366 young adults with a history of psychotherapy or counseling. Psychotherapy side effects were common, with 41% of participants reporting at least one. Perceived lack of control over the decision of when and how to engage in therapy was the strongest predictor of experiencing therapy side effects. Of the different kinds of side effects, feeling that therapy had gone on too long and experiencing worsening of existing …

Efficacy Of The Echeckup To Go For High School Seniors: Sex Differences In Risk Factors, Protective Behavioral Strategies, And Alcohol Use, Diana M. Doumas, Susan Esp, Rob Turrisi, Laura Bond, Brian Flay

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: The purpose of this randomized controlled study was to examine sex as a moderator of the efficacy of a brief, web-based personalized feedback intervention (eCHECKUP TO GO) on decreasing cognitive risk factors for alcohol use, increasing protective behavioral strategies, and reducing alcohol use among high school seniors. Method: Participants (n = 311) were high school seniors randomized by class period to the eCHECKUP TO GO intervention or assessment-only control group. Participants completed online surveys at baseline and 30-day follow-up (91.0%; n = 283). Results: Students in the intervention group reported a significant reduction in normative perceptions of peer …

The Impact Prayer Has On Reducing Anxiety, Casey D. Groover

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Anxiety predates the modern world as its history is biblical. Christians have traditionally battled the conditions of anxiety, and it currently adversely impacts people in various ways today. A process used to reduce the effect of anxiety is prayer, and Christians among the Church of God denomination practice its rituals so that God will provide for their requests. This Christian prayer is experienced through different prayer rituals as God recognizes and responds to Christians using them. The results of prayers when experiencing reactions to anxiety are reported in the testimonies of ten research participants who provided three significant themes in …

School-Based Support For Families Of Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries, Susan C. Davies

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Families of children with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) often experience emotional burden related to the sudden onset, intensity, and duration of the recovery process. Family support can improve outcomes; however, parents and siblings of students with TBI often do not receive the help they need, which can impede the injured child’s recovery. This qualitative study involved focus groups with school psychologists who have worked with students with TBIs. Participants were asked about challenges experienced by families of students with TBI and how school psychologists could better support families of children with TBI. Themes included: guilt, change, lack of time and …

Origins Of Self-Compassion: The Impact Of The Early Caregiving Environment, Nicoleta Dragan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of early attachment on self-compassion in early adulthood utilizing a causal model to assess the mediating effects of emotional regulation and shame (Figure 1). Participants were 133 undergraduate students (143 females and 90 males) between 18 and 28 years old (M = 22.7 yrs.) from a Southern California university. Structural equation modeling (SEM) using EQS (version 6.1) was used to analyze the data. Results showed an indirect effect of early attachment on self-compassion through emotional regulation and shame; a direct, moderate effect of early attachment on emotional regulation and …

Mental Health Chaplaincy: A Guide For Geriatric Psychiatric Chaplains, Deena Anne Martinelli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Veterans Administration (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) evaluated the expanding roles of chaplains in mental health and identified the prevalent need for additional training among chaplains when integrating chaplaincy and mental health services. Literature revealed that chaplains were lacking in the skillsets and pastoral care practices needed to effectively care for elderly patients with mental health disorders. A gap remains in literature regarding the reported level of training and preparedness of chaplains who ministered to geriatric mental health patients within clinical settings, which this project sought to examine. Harter’s competence motivation theory and the Holy Bible served as …

Empty Cribs: Infertility Challenges For Orthodox Jewish Couples, Itay Kohane

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation discusses an issue that is of importance to many people throughout their lifetime—infertility. One in every eight couples (12%) is incapable of carrying a pregnancy to term after one year of natural attempts. This paper further examines the prevalence of infertility among couples, bringing into focus more common variables such as gender and age. But, going beyond these, the present study will demonstrate that other variables including stressors such as social factors, interpersonal dynamics, and personal judgment affect couples in a manner which indirectly reduces their chances of conceiving a child. This research will touch on a number …

Navigating Multicultural Considerations For In-Home Counselors: A Case-Study Example, Janelle M. Bettis

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The in-home modality is an area of counseling that has received minimal research, yet the need to serve clients within their home continues. This case-study example demonstrates an ethical dilemma that can arise relating to multicultural considerations. Frame and Williams’ (2005) Multicultural Ethical Decision-Making Model was used as the method to assess the situation and the following ethical dilemma was identified: conducting counseling sessions during religious prayer times. To clarify values within the clinical supervision triad related to multicultural identities, the Heuristic Model of Non-Oppressive Interpersonal Development (Inman & DeBoer Kreider, 2013) was also used.

Managed Care Organizations In Counseling Practice, Research, And Education, Carol Seehusen, Roseina Britton, David Duys

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This article examines the role managed care organizations (MCOs) have in the counseling profession. Ethical dilemmas present in working with MCOs are discussed as they apply to clinical practice and clinical decision making. Implications and potential solutions are explored, as well as a discussion on the limitations of current research and prospective future research suggestions on the effect MCOs have on the counseling profession. Counselor education considerations are also discussed. Specific American Counseling Association (ACA) standards are included throughout the article where applicable.

Training Issues Related To Touch In Counseling, Jonathan D. Wright

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Touch is considered by many to be the most important of the five senses for optimal human development and has been used in healing and medical practices throughout history. Touch also plays a key role in human communication but maintains a position detached from other forms of verbal and nonverbal communication within the field of counseling. Most counselors receive little training in the role of touch in counseling, and there are no ethics codes specific to the use of touch available to guide counselors. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of historical and current issues related …

Counselor Professional Identity Development In Cacrep And Non-Cacrep Accredited Programs, Melanie Person, Curtis Garner, Michelle Ghoston, Connie Petersen

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Through increasing the strength and understanding of counselor-in-training professional identity development, the profession as a whole gains credibility and a place within mental health treatment. This study sought to determine CACREP’s impact on professional identity development of counselors-in-training. Results indicate that individuals who attended a CACREP-accredited Master’s program had significantly higher overall scores on the Professional Identity Scale in Counseling (PISC) (Woo & Henfield, 2015), but not in all subscales. Implications support continued promotion of CACREP involvement in the training of counselors.

Applying Markov Chain Analysis To Supervisory Interactions, Dan Li, David K. Duys, Darcy Haag Granello

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

In this study, we explored transitional dynamics (i.e., movement patterns between six common supervision events) of the supervision process using transcripts of 20 actual supervision sessions in naturalistic settings. Specifically, we first proposed an events-based framework to conceptualize the supervision process. We then provided a step-by-step protocol to perform Markov chain analysis, which is an innovative and useful means to study ongoing processes. Next, we identified transitional dynamics of the entire sample and then detected statistically different verbal interactional patterns for the dyads with longer or shorter trainee experience. Results of this study provided insights on supervision process features for …

The Research Self-Efficacy, Interest In Research, And Research Mentoring Experiences Of Doctoral Students In Counselor Education, John T. Petko, Stephen A. Sivo, Glenn W. Lambie

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Doctoral programs in counselor education are believed to be developing effective researchers, yet there are few studies that examine the research constructs within counselor educator programs. The purpose of this study is to investigate a national sample of doctoral counselor education students’ research quality by measuring three constructs: 1) research self-efficacy, 2) interest in research and 3) research mentoring. A cross-sectional, correlational research design was used to test if doctoral students programs could predict these constructs. Also, the study investigated whether students’ research practices, (e.g., publishing refereed journal articles, et al.) correlated with their response levels.

Keywords: counselor education and …

Are Counselors Prepared? : Integrating Trauma Education Into Counselor Education Programs, Seriashia Chatters, Peihsuan Liu

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Due to the high prevalence of traumatic events, counselors are likely to have clients with histories of trauma. Counselors need to be prepared to work with trauma-related issues. The Council of Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs supports the importance of trauma education in the 2016 CACREP standards. Due to the 60 credit hour requirement of counselor training programs, the authors suggest that counselor educators integrate trauma education throughout Counselor Education curricula as opposed to creating a whole course. This article elucidates the need of integrating trauma education in counseling graduate programs, and provides suggestions regarding how counselor educators …

The Effect Of Affect: Krathwohl And Bloom’S Affective Domains Underutilized In Counselor Education, J Scott Nelson, Debra A. Pender, Charles E. Myers, Donna Sheperis

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Bloom's (1956) Taxonomy cognitive domains have proven useful for decades. Counselor educators are experts in affect, and yet most are unfamiliar with Bloom's affective domains that correspond to the cognitive domains. The affective domains focus on attitudes and values that can help counselor educators assist students to more successfully navigate Bloom's cognitive process by harnessing the effect of affect through combining Bloom's affective and cognitive domains. Since Bloom's cognitive domains are already widely and effectively utilized, perhaps it is time for counselor educators, the experts in affect, to use the affective domains in conjunction with the cognitive domains as initially …

How Does Autism Affect The Processing Of Child Sexual Abuse Trauma?, Jose Carbajal, Regina T. Praetorius

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Children in general are a vulnerable population, but children with neurodevelopmental disorders are even more vulnerable. This case study, which uses secondary qualitative data to focus on a survivor of sexual abuse who has autism, explores how a child with autism interprets and processes being sexually abused. We contrast how a child with autism experiences child sexual abuse with the experiences of children without autism; major differences emerged in terms of how a child with autism normalizes and interprets sexual abuse. The findings of this study indicate mental health professionals need more training regarding the complications autism adds to the …

The Dyadic Dance During Deployment: Veteran And Partner Romantic Attachment, Warren Ponder, Jose Carbajal

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

A strong family unit and dyadic relationship can buffer against the possible development of depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A growing body of literature has been investigating how couples communicate during a combat separation. However, there has not been a robust framework to conceptualize the findings; this paper posits that attachment theory can fill this gap. This study was a cross-sectional retrospective design that included twenty-two heterosexual dyads. Nine modes of communication were assessed: letters, care packages, email, telephone, text with phone, social networking, Skype, instant messenger and instant messenger with video. Also, frequency of communication was examined for …