Counseling Commons^™

Culture Matching And Its Impact On The Therapeutic Relationship: A Literature Review, Taylor Marsyla

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

As cultural competency and cultural humility move to the forefront of therapeutic treatment so does a need for understanding the effects of culture on the therapeutic relationship. Often individuals who belong to minority groups are less likely to seek mental health care and more commonly receive subpar treatment. This project attempts to examine the effects of matching patients and therapists based on a shared identity and/or culture as a form of culturally responsive treatment – also known as culture matching. In this literature review, the selected peer reviewed articles considered the perspectives of both therapists and patients. Research was divided …

I Just Want To Be A Normal Teenager: A Literature Review Of Impacts Of Adolescent-Onset Chronic Illness On Identity Development And Proposed Benefits Of Drama Therapy, Margaret Young

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Adolescence is a crucial moment in life for establishing our personal identity, internal values, and social autonomy (Christie & Viner, 2005); however, this already-tumultuous time can be further complicated by the addition of a chronic illness diagnosis which can lead to feelings of isolation, uncertainty, and an inconsistent sense of self (Chisholm, 2018; Wicks et al., 2019). This literature review investigates the current research regarding the impacts of chronic illness on identity development as well as the landscape of available expressive therapies interventions. Based on personal experience and available literature, I argue that drama therapy can provide much needed support …

Does Medical School Prepare Doctors To Treat Sexual Health?, Sonjia Kenya, Breanne Young, Fabiola Joseph, Olveen Carrasquillo

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Does Medical School Prepare Doctors to Treat Sexual Health?

Abstract

Introduction: Sexual function is a normative process warranting the equal attention of preventive and treatment services throughout the lifespan. Despite growing recognition of the value of human sexuality in clinical settings, there is no standardized sexual wellness curriculum universally administered in medical schools. Accordingly, many current and future physicians feel underprepared when taking care of patients’ sexual health needs.

Methods: To strengthen sexual health knowledge among medical students in Miami, we conducted a brief workshop in February 2020 and March 2021. The workshop provided an introductory overview of the physiology …

Sexuality, Sex Education, And Intellectual Disability: Guidance For Counselors, Julie C. Hill, Jill M. Meyer, Lindsay E. Stokes, J.C. Ausmus, Brandon Worthey, Jamie Carney

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Sexual health and sexuality can be an important component of an individual’s identity. Sexual health and sexuality are a vital part of an individual’s quality of life and overall health and well-being. Individuals with intellectual disabilities have been viewed as asexual, lacking sexual interest, or have an inability to engage in sexual activity. These views have led to individuals with intellectual disabilities to be excluded from sexual education programs or lack appropriate knowledge of sexuality, sexual health, and healthy relationships. It is important for parents, medical providers, mental health professionals, and caregivers to have the knowledge needs to have conversations …

We Are Family: Queer And Transgender Family Building, Jennifer M. Gess, Nattalie Wolff-Tseng, Kaitlin J. Phelps, Madison Morley

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

LGBTQ+ people experience resiliency and discrimination when attempting to build families. There are massive systemic barriers and oppressive walls LGBTQ+ people face when forming either a blended family, trying at-home insemination, using assisted reproductive technology, working with a gestational carrier, or attempting to become a foster parent or adopt a child. Queer reproductive justice provides a foundation for counselors to support clients by using affirmative counseling, providing positive mandatory interactions clients are ordered to during family building, and advocating with and on behalf of their LGBTQ+ clients building families.

Can A Course On Sexuality Counseling Increase Empathy When Working With Sex- And Gender-Minoritized Individuals?, Betty Cardona, Robinder P. Bedi

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

This study examined whether a sexuality counseling course could increase self-perceived empathy for working with Sex and Gender minoritized (SGM)individuals. Forty-two students enrolled in a sexuality counseling course completed empathy assessments prior to starting the course and after completing it. Statistically significant increases in empathy towards gay/lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals were found (moderate to a large effect sizes). Results indicate that, at least under some circumstances, empathy levels for SGM individuals in counselors-in-training (CITs) could be increased through coursework. Increases in practitioner empathy for SGM individuals can translate into lower uniliteral termination rates and better counseling and psychotherapy outcomes.

Sexological Ecosystemic Assessment: A Systems Approach To Understanding Sexual Issues In Individuals And Couples, Stephanie Buehler

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Sexuality is a complex construct made up of the influence of systems upon the individual and counterinfluence of the individual upon systems, which can make sexual history taking problematic. The adaptation of Bronfenbrenner’s developmental ecological systems model has been employed to create a Sexological Ecosystemic Assessment. The Sexological Ecosystemic Assessment is described as a means of gathering and organizing information about an individual’s sexual development and current sexual expression across five subsystems that range from the microsystem, wherein interactions take place among and between family members and close caregivers, to the chronosystem, which is the effect of time across the …

Power Of Circle: A Literature Review, Mindy Thacker

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review includes research on the history of and cultural roots of circles; role of belonging and our social engagement system in circle and group processes; and healing and witnessing in circle. This literature review highlights supportive research exploring reasons we are drawn to the circle formation, how circle spaces are powerful, and why this structure may help to bring ease and safety to our nervous systems. The research reviewed includes an exploration of the history of circles in dance/movement therapy (DMT); how circles facilitate healing of the social engagement system; and how circles can contribute to healing on …

Addressing Burnout, Stress And Self-Care In Graduate Students At Arcadia’S University Counseling Program, Lorraynne Moura De Amorim

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

Burnout is a threat to both graduate and licensed level clinicians (Warlick et al., 2021). Burnout and stress can lead to professional impairment and result in unethical practice (Daly & Gardner, 2020; Warlick et al., 2021). Self-care is described in the literature as a protective factor to cope with burnout and stress (Butler et al., 2017; Callan et al., 2021; Daly & Gardner, 2020; Warlick et al., 2021). The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics reinforces professional’s ethical duties of monitoring sign and symptoms of impairment, which could interfere with their practice (ACA, 2014). The purpose of this study was …

The Role Of Acculturation In The Professional Identity Of Art Therapy And Counseling International Students, Ana Marcela Tobar Chavez

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

In a country of immigrants, the concept of acculturation needs to be familiar to almost any professional in the mental health field and it is a reality for immigrants and international students. As international and immigrant students continue to join the Art Therapy Counseling profession, it is important to understand how acculturation plays a role in the development of their counseling professional identity. Unlike most master’s students in the art therapy counseling profession, international and immigrant students go through unique experiences such as being born and raised in a different country with difference in cultures, languages, and immigration statuses that …

Counselor Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Competency: Christian And Non-Religious Addiction Counseling Programs, Kelly A. King, Corinne W. Bridges, Sidney L. Shaw

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This study compared levels of professional competency working with self-identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients among graduates and field experience students of Christian and nonreligious-affiliated CACREP-accredited addiction counseling programs. Applicants completed an instrument to measure the dependent variables of awareness, knowledge, and skills to work with LGB clients. The sample consisted of 84 master’s students in field experience and unlicensed counselors within 2 years of graduation. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the hypotheses. Participants from nonreligious-affiliated addiction counseling programs scored higher on the awareness (M = 68.82, M = 63.03), knowledge (M = 50.22, …

Peace With Painful Memories, Mona Muzammil, Muzammil Arshad, Washain Muzammil

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

This Book helps you identify and heal from childhood emotional neglect so you can be more connected and emotionally present in your life.

Do you sometimes feel like you’re just going through the motions in life? Do you often act like you’re fine when you secretly feel lonely and disconnected? Perhaps you have a good life and yet somehow, it’s not enough to make you happy. Or perhaps you drink too much, eat too much, or risk too much to feel something good. If so, you are not alone and you may be suffering from emotional neglect.

Are you one …

Ce 620 Syllabus: Tests & Measurements, Dawnette Cigrand

Counselor Education Syllabi

This course provides an overview of the fundamentals of measurement as applied to psychological testing. Knowledge of and practical experience in the use of standardized psychological tests in counseling for personality assessment, evaluation, and career and life decisions will be provided.

Building Bridges: An Improvement Science Approach To Fostering Cross-Group Connections And Friendships Among Elementary School Students, Cody Russelburg

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The persistent issue of limited cross-group connections and friendships among diverse elementary school students is addressed, specifically in a district with five elementary schools that converge into a single middle and high school. The tendency for students to maintain selfsegregated social circles from their zoned elementary schools into middle and high school highlights the need for an intervention designed to foster cross-group connections. Utilizing the Improvement Science framework, this research incorporates two intervention cycles to refine and enhance outcomes related to cross-group connections. Fifth-grade students from two distinct elementary schools had intentional and direct intergroup contact utilizing an adapted version …

Ce 590 Syllabus: Addiction Counseling: Practicum, Mitch Moore

Counselor Education Syllabi

This is a Counselor Education practium for addiction counseling.

Mental Health Counseling For Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study Of Client Perspectives., Kathleen Nagle Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness is three to four times as prevalent among individuals with intellectual disabilities compared to those without intellectual disabilities (Munir, 2016). There is a body of research supporting the efficacy of mental health counseling to decrease symptoms and behaviors in individuals with intellectual disabilities, but scarce research exists which describes the experiences of these individuals. This interpretive phenomenological analysis was designed to gather information about how individuals with mild intellectual disabilities experience the four common components of psychotherapy that contribute to change (from Lambert, 1992; Thomas, 2006) – client and extra therapeutic factors, relationships factors, expectancy, and model / …

Ce 432 Syllabus: Stress Management, Karen Cathey

Counselor Education Syllabi

This course will provide an introduction to important concepts, issues, skills, and interventions related to the identification and management of personal stress.

Ce 555 Syllabus: Additions Counseling: Psychopharmacology, Mitch Moore

Counselor Education Syllabi

This course introduces students to the pharmacology of substance abuse disorders and the dynamics of addiction, including medication-assisted therapy. Students will learn about the effects of licit and illicit drugs on the brain and body, basic drug classifications, and indications and contraindications of drugs to make appropriate referrals for medical intervention and medication evaluations and to provide basic client education.

Ce 565 Syllabus: Addiction Counseling: Theory And Practice, Mitch Moore

Counselor Education Syllabi

This course provides students with an overview of various theoretical orientations, models, and methods for delivering client education and treatment from both and individual and group perspectives. Students will be introduced to evidenced-based treatment approaches, including motivational interviewing/ enhancement therapy, cognitive-behavioral approaches, and 12-Step facilitation, and others. Working with clients in crisis and with co-occurring disorders will be emphasized.

Ce 622: Family Systems Counseling, Anquinetta V. Calhoun

Counselor Education Syllabi

This course introduces students to the theory, assessment techniques, and intervention strategies used in the practice of family systems counseling. The focus of the course will be on building a theoretical base for understanding and applying family systems counseling strategies and techniques. Didactic and experiential learning will provide students with the opportunity to apply and integrate knowledge and skills.