Counseling Commons^™

2015 Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar, Emily M. Douglas Ph.D., Melinda Gushwa Ph.D., Licsw, Martha J. Henry Ph.D.

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Mission Critical: Reforming Foster Care and Child Protective Services is the sixth Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar. It is designed to emphasize a family perspective in policymaking on issues related to reforming foster care and child protective services in the Commonwealth. In general, Family Impact Seminars analyze the consequences an issue, policy, or program may have for families.

Cyberbullying Prevention: Intervention Effects On Student Involvement, Sarah Nash Bumpas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Repeated studies show that cyberbullying is pervasive amongst adolescents. Cyberbullying can lead to self-harm, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Educators are called to intervene in educating students about cyberbullying through research and federal legislation. However, there is little research examining whether this education is taking place or having an effect.

This study investigates the relationship between the incidences of cyberbullying victimization and offending over time and the direct cyberbullying instruction and activities facilitated by classroom teachers. The study took place amongst sixth graders in Jefferson County Public Schools, a large urban school district located in northern Kentucky. Students in one school …

Critical Self-Reflection Questions For Professsionals Who Work With Grandfamilies, Megan L. Dolbin-Macnab

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

One of the reasons that grandparents raising grandchildren may not receive needed services is because they perceive professionals as being judgmental or holding negative attitudes toward them. As such, it is important for human service professionals to critically examine their opinions and attitudes toward grandfamilies, within the context of larger social structures, for the purposes of identifying those views that might interfere with the delivery of high quality services. This practice brief provides an overview of critical self-reflection questions that can be used, in a variety of ways, for training purposes. By utilizing these critical self-reflection questions, professionals can discover …

Unsilencing The Voice Within: Expressive Writing As A Therapeutic Tool, Karla L. Sapp

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Written words are a very powerful tool that is used to facilitate self-healing, awareness, and growth through the communication of one’s deepest thoughts, emotions, and desires. The purpose of this poster session is to provide mental health providers (community, school, criminal justice) with an overview of expressive writing, forms of expressive writing that can be utilized, and implications for professional practice with At-Risk Youth.

Grief And At-Risk Behavior: A Look At The Effectiveness Of Grief Counseling Groups For Adolescents In Public Schools, Kiana Battle

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Brief Description: This presentation will explore the affects that grief has on adolescents, including at–risk behaviors, identity confusion, issues of self-worth, and many more. The presentation will illustrate the positive impact that grief counseling groups have among adolescents (with a special focus in the public school environment). Barriers that hinder the effective delivery of group counseling within the public school arena will also be addressed (such barriers are amount of time in the school day, student caseload, and administrative support). This presentation will also address the critical role that school social workers play, in effectively providing group counseling interventions to …

Some Secrets Should Be Shared: Implementing An Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention Program, Meghan W. Diamon

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Youth suicide prevention is critical in schools and local communities. Participants will discuss published research on risk factors for youth suicide, how to implement an evidence-based prevention program, and how to tackle common obstacles encountered. Participants will be prepared to mobilize school staff, parents, and community members to address the critical issues of depression awareness and suicide prevention.

Development Of Counseling Students’ Self-Efficacy During Preparation And Training, Patrick R. Mullen, Olivia Uwamahoro

Counseling Faculty Publications

Counselor preparation is multifaceted and involves developing trainees’ clinical knowledge, skills and competence. Furthermore, counselor self-efficacy is a relevant developmental consideration in the counseling field. Therefore, the purpose of this longitudinal investigation was to examine the effects of a counselor preparation program on students’ development of counseling self-efficacy. The Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale was administered to 179 master’s-level counselors-in-training at three points in their counselor training and coursework, including new student orientation, clinical practicum orientation and final internship group supervision meeting. Findings indicated that students’ experience in their preparation program resulted in higher levels of self-efficacy

Development Of An Integrative Wellness Model: Supervising Counselors-In-Training, Ashley J. Blount, Patrick R. Mullen

Counseling Faculty Publications

Supervision is an integral component of counselor development with the objective of ensuring safe and effective counseling for clients. Wellness also is an important element of counseling and often labeled as the cornerstone of the counseling profession. Literature on supervision contains few models that have a wellness focus or component; however, wellness is fundamental to counseling and the training of counselors, and is primary in developmental, strengths-based counseling. The purpose of this article is to introduce an integrative wellness model for counseling supervision that incorporates existing models of supervision, matching the developmental needs of counselors-in-training and theoretical tenets of wellness.

Prostate Cancer Screening Of Heterosexual Caribbean American And African American Men And Their Partners, Horatius C. Gittens

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The incidence and prevalence of prostate cancer are very alarming among men in general, among African American men more narrowly, and among Caribbean American men more specifically. While the disease has variable impact on men of different racial and ethnic backgrounds the impact of the disease on diagnosed Caribbean American men and their families is of particular importance. Prostate cancer screening decisions and behaviors can be very helpful in prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery from prostate cancer. This research uses a symbolic interactionist framework within a family systems approach towards evaluating and understanding the experience of prostate cancer screening …

Women With Disabilities In The Workplace: A Need For Advancement Opportunities, Susan Stuntzner

Counseling Faculty Publications

Women in the workplace is not a new concept, particularly given the fact they constitute about half of the workforce in many countries. Despite their increased presence, women continue to be challenged in their ability to advance within the workplace or, in some instances, acquire solid, well-paying, meaningful positions. Reasons for this are varied. Women continue to find themselves charged with the responsibility of maintaining their home and raising their children while also being a part of the workforce; thus, causing them to consider a non-linear career or employment path. Others may not have been raised or encouraged from a …

Spring 2015

Action in Education

Notes from the dean; Alumna shapes California's English learner programs; Summer camp sparks interest in STEM for sixth-grade girls; Grants provide opportunities for professors to engage with community-based research; Around the college; New state requirements prompt revitalized master's programs

Forgiveness: A Vital Skill To Cope With Employment Issues, Susan Stuntzner

Counseling Faculty Publications

Forgiveness is a topic most people probably associate with personal values, spirituality, or religiosity. It may even be considered in relation to living a healthier lifestyle but not in relation to employment concerns or injustices. Despite, its traditional associations and the perspectives most commonly held, forgiveness is a value, a practice, and a way of life that benefits to person who practices it more than the person who committed the offense, hurt, or perceived wrongdoing. Forgiveness is also a skill and a process which can be learned or taught and has value in regards to employment issues and concerns.

Conflict In Families And Nursing Home Placement: A Phenomenological Study, Stephen John Pidwysocky

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

In the limited qualitative research about families who have placed a family member in a nursing home, conflict is identified as a significant problem (Lashewicz & Keating, 2009; Lashewicz et al., 2007). Whether it is related to absence of filial responsibility on the part of adult children, (Ganong & Coleman, 2005; Piercy, 1998), adult child ambivalence (Bengtson et al., 2002; Lüscher & Pillemer, 1998), female and male gender caregiving roles (Spitze & Trent, 2006; Dayton-Ingersoll, 2003; Aronson, 1992), differences in levels of commitment on the part of adult children to assist older parents (Silverstein et al., 2008), adult children being …

[Special Issue On Sea Demographics] Response - Counseling/Psychology, Loan T. Phan

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

Response to Mark E. Pfeifer's featured article.

Marital Satisfaction And Aging, Lisa S. Sosin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

One way to organize the empirical conclusions related to marital satisfaction and aging is to categorize them according to “Attitude” and “Action” factors. The attitude of the marriage describes spouse’s opinions about the quality of the bond and the overall emotional climate of the relationship. Action characteristics, on the other hand, are the kinds of activities regularly engaged in by satisfied couples. This entry presents the traits of satisfied older couples, provides a brief discussion of gender differences, and concludes with implications based on the scientific findings.

Building A Foundation For Crisis Intervention In Eastern Europe, Evan D. Parks

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The principles of Critical Incident Stress Management for assisting individuals and groups are applied to an Eastern European crisis event. This case study demonstrates the importance of understanding the cultural context where crisis events occur and the value of developing a network of local relationships as a step toward gaining credibility when working cross-culturally. I recount experiences over the past 13 years working in Eastern Europe as a clinical psychologist, consulting and intervening in a wide variety of critical incidents. There is a great need to raise the awareness of depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse, and addictions among health professionals, educators, …

Financial Anxiety, Physiological Arousal, And Planning Intention, John Grable, Wookjae Heo, Abed Rabbani

Consumer Sciences Faculty Publications

Results from this exploratory clinical study indicate that financial anxiety—holding an unhealthy attitude about one’s financial situation—and physiological arousal—the physical precursor to behavior—play important roles in shaping consumer intention to engage in future financial planning activity. Findings suggest that those who are most likely to engage the services of a financial adviser exhibit low levels of financial anxiety and moderate to high levels of physiological arousal. The least likely to seek the help of a financial adviser are those who exhibit high financial anxiety and low physiological arousal. Results support findings documented in the literature that high anxiety levels often …

Counselor Education And Counseling Psychology 2015 News, College Of Education And Human Development

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology News

• Associate Professor has Article Published in National Journal
• Assistant Professor has Journal Article Published
• Associate Professor Presents at Three National Conferences Summer 2015
• Three WMU professors Awarded U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Grant
• Dr. Janee Steele and Dr. Glinda Rawls publish in Counselor Education and Supervision
• Faculty Member Gives Keynote Address for Induction Ceremony for Honor Society
• Faculty Member has two Articles Accepted for Publication
• 2015 Awards Reception
• Assistant Professor has Article Published in National Journal
• Clinical Mental Health Counseling Student Wins Fellowship from National Board
• Assistant Professor Receives Inaugural Fellowship

School-Based Consultation To Improve Concussion Recognition And Response, Susan C. Davies, Jenna M. Sandlund, Lisa B. Lopez

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Many students who have sustained concussions return to school requiring academic adjustments while their brains heal. However, school personnel often are not trained to accommodate these students. This exploratory project examined the usefulness of school-based training paired with ongoing consultation and continued dissemination of information to improve both concussion recognition and response among school personnel.

A case study design was employed in which a school district received training that was followed by ongoing consultation and continued dissemination of concussion resources. This study highlights the importance of involving school psychologists in concussion management programs.

Erikson’S Young Adulthood And Emerging Adulthood Today, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Jeffrey J. Arnett

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

No abstract provided.