Counseling Commons^™

Empty Nest Couples, Resiliency, And Marriage Stability: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Krystal Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To improve our understanding of the lived experiences of married couples who have transitioned to the empty nest phase of the family life cycle, having had their last child leave home, dyadic perspectives of six married couples were captured. Exploring this understudied midlife transition was important to highlight the relationship experiences that characterized the transition to the empty nest phase of marriage that contribute to positive and negative relational outcomes. Within the context of a resilient and stable marriages, it was also important to understand strategic measures couples have used to buffer and strengthen the marital relationship. Participants included 12 …

Impact Of Mental Health Disorders On Partner Mental Health And Marital Satisfaction, Tabitha G. Hennagan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mental health effects have been continually documented to include difficulty with building relationships with others, issues with communicating needs effectively, and difficulty maneuvering community services and supports. These difficulties can add pressure on individuals with mental health issues and can cause the difficulties of symptoms to increase. These pressures of dealing with the symptoms of mental illness do not only fall on the individuals with mental illness but also fall on their caregivers, family members, and spouses. These individuals may play multiple roles to assist the individual with mental illness with feeling supported. The constant need for support and sometimes …

The Effects Of Suicide Exposure In Adolescents: Absences, Academic Performance, And Behavior, Mika Pearson Brockington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative research study is primarily about suicide exposure to adolescents and its effects. Most articles do not address the effects of exposure but only the ideation, attempts, and completion of suicide. In addition to the literature examined is the proposal to do more research to assist counselors and school staff in identifying and addressing students’ problems with academic progress, absences, and behavior. This article asked questions on a survey of participants exposed to suicide during their adolescent years. This information will be captured and analyzed to understand better how being exposed to suicide can affect many aspects of life …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Relationship Experiences Of Partners Of Individuals Who Suffer With Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (Pmdd), Rose Anna Alkattan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a debilitating disorder that adversely affects the lives of individuals and their intimate relationships. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of the partners of individuals who suffer from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. The theories guiding this study were the interpersonal theory of suicide and the adult attachment theory. This study examined the overall relationship experience of partners of individuals suffering from PMDD and their cyclic attachment styles during the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle. A selection of three PMDD partners and three PMDD sufferers, who have …

Exploring The Relationship Between Mothers And Daughters As It Directly Impacts Social Media Use And Body Image From An Adolescent’S Perspective, Desiree Winslow Saleh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how adolescent females between the ages of thirteen and nineteen feel and think about their relationship with their mothers, and examine how this impacts social media use and body image. Although greatly and typically applied to quantitative research studies, the tripartite influence model of body image was the primary theory that guided this study. With the immediate accessibility to social media platforms, young women are recognizing a decline in their body satisfaction. Social media serves as another social pressure for adolescents to navigate and is filtered through their pre-existing perceptions of …

The Creative Arts Personal Growth Group With Centering Prayer For Sexual Trauma Survivors: A Transformative-Coping Focused Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study, Rachel M. Parrish-Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Copious research demonstrates an epidemic of sexual trauma (ST) among females resulting in excruciating shame and fear of exposing oneself to others. Shame is an under-researched emerging mental health concern. This study addressed a gap in the literature regarding interventions for shame symptoms experienced by female survivors of ST. Specifically, it was an intervention study that applied a spiritually integrated form of the Creative Arts Personal Growth Group (CAPG) with Centering Prayer (CAPG-CP). Utilizing the Theory of Transformative Coping and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, this study explored the lived experience of nine female Christian ST survivors who participated in the CAPG-CP. …

“It Is Nice To Be Seen, Not Gazed At”: A Reflection Of Using Photovoice And Critical Participatory Action Research With Queer, Trans, Black, And Indigenous People Of Color In Substance Use Disorder Counseling, Frank Bryan Gorritz, Logan Riddle, Jay Mccalla, Jacklyn J. Byrd

The Qualitative Report

This article focuses on the reflexivity process associated with studying Queer, Transgender, Black, and Indigenous People of Colors’ experiences in substance use disorder counseling. Specifically, this article explores the authors’ experience working with QTBIPOC in substance use disorder counseling, studying QTBIPOC counseling research, researching QTBIPOC lived experiences in substance use disorder counseling, and utilizing QTBIPOC affirming research methods in understanding QTBIPOC lived experiences. This article is especially important as it interrogates what it means to identify as a Queer researcher while studying the lived experiences of QTBIPOC. This article also includes implications for conducting counseling research in studying QTBIPOC lived …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Expressive Arts Therapy To Support Positive Experiences Of Embodiment Among Rural Lgbtq+ Adults: A Literature Review, Ann Stromgren

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper investigates the use of expressive arts therapy to support LGBTQ+ adult clients in rural communities. Caring professionals in rural areas often lack training on how to work with LGBTQ+ clients, and best practices for clinical mental health counseling with rural LGBTQ+ clients have yet to be defined. Some evidence suggests that using “metronormative” best practices with rural clients may be irrelevant or cause harm (Giano et al., 2020). Although some recommendations exist for using expressive therapies with LGBTQ+ clients, they are rarely evidence-based, as very few empirical studies exist evaluating the effectiveness of expressive therapy interventions with LGBTQ+ …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Development Of An Intervention To Foster Post-Traumatic Growth And Perceived Social Support Among Economically Disadvantaged Students In Thailand: A Design-Based Research Study, Ramida Mahantamak, Nanchatsan Sakunpong, Ittipaat Suwathanpornkul

Journal of Health Research

Background: In Thailand, there is a lack of studies investigating the assistance provided for children who are economically disadvantaged. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to develop assistance specifically designed for economically disadvantaged students (EDSs) which takes into account both psychological and social dimensions.

Methods: We utilized a design-based research (DBR) approach for a study with 33 participants. The key participants consisted of nine Thai EDSs, aged between 13 to 15 with trauma resulting from emotional abuse by parents. Non-key participants consisted of twenty-four parents, peers, and teachers. The design involved two iterations in the design cycle.

Results: The completed …

Culturally Responsive Practices In Graduate Training: Challenges, Strategies, And Recommendations, Khadija Ali, Jolinpreet Dhami, Odessa Luna

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This paper examines three women of color perspectives on the relevance of incorporating culture and race discussions, activities, and assignments into graduate courses. The authors provide a description of their upbringing to highlight how their personal experiences shaped their perspective on culture and race in educational settings. The challenges of delivering instruction to encompass culture are discussed alongside a student’s evaluation of these barriers. In addition, instructors outline strategies they have implemented to incorporate a culturally responsive practice. Lastly, the authors present recommendations to urge other faculty members and students to use and advocate for culturally responsive practices.

The Impacts Of Problem Parenting On College Student Mental Health: A Pilot Study, Deirdre O'Sullivan, Isak Kim, Jennifer L. Hanna, Justin R. Watts, Amber O'Shea

Counseling Faculty Publications

This study validated a scale to explore family dynamics on a continuum of problematic to positive parenting practices that are believed to relate to college student distress and well-being. A two-factor scale was revealed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis with each factor demonstrating good internal reliability and convergent validity with another validated scale. The new scale better predicted college student mental health and well-being when considered with the frequently used Adverse Childhood Experience Scale (ACES).

Supervisory Impact On Counselor-In-Training Wellness, Erin Brumfield Grima

Dissertations

Counselors being able to engage in self-care practices to establish and maintain their wellness is a well-documented need. The risks of neglecting self-care are also well documented, yet counselors struggle to engage in consistent self-care practices (Baker & Gabriel, 2021; Posluns & Gall, 2020). When demand for counselors is constant (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2020) an examination of how to impact counselor wellness through supervision discussion of self-care is needed. The purpose of the study was to examine supervision discussion of self-care, support of mastery of counselors-in-training’s emotions and any resulting impact on counselor wellness. Data …

The Effects Of Role Stress Elements On Primary School Counselor's Perceived General Self-Efficacy, Alicia Mckinzy, Candy H. Ratliff, Carol H. Parker, Jessica D. Davis, Ronnie Davis

The Journal of the Research Association of Minority Professors

The authors examined the predictive relationship between role stress elements (role ambiguity and role conflict) and the perceived general self-efficacy of primary school counselors’ ability to effectively implement a comprehensive counseling program. A standard multiple regression technique was computed to test whether a relationship exists between role stress elements (role conflict and role ambiguity) of primary school counselors and their perceived general self-efficacy scores. The predictor variable role ambiguity and role conflict accounted for 8.6% (Adjusted = 6.5%) of the variance in the criterion variable perceived general self-efficacy scores.

The results revealed a linear relationship between role stress elements and …

Ai-Supported Academic Advising: Exploring Chatgpt’S Current State And Future Potential Toward Student Empowerment, Daisuke Akiba, Michelle C. Fraboni

Publications and Research

Artificial intelligence (AI), once a phenomenon primarily in the world of science fiction, has evolved rapidly in recent years, steadily infiltrating into our daily lives. ChatGPT, a freely accessible AI-powered large language model designed to generate human-like text responses to users, has been utilized in several areas, such as the healthcare industry, to facilitate interactive dissemination of information and decision-making. Academic advising has been essential in promoting success among university students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Unfortunately, however, student advising has been marred with problems, with the availability and accessibility of adequate advising being among the hurdles. The current study …

Examining Student Resilience By Observing The Effect Of Social Support And Optimism, Erlina Estiyanti Widuri, Mujidin Mujidin, Husnul Khotimah Rustam, Miftakhur Rohmah, Miftakhur Rohmah

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

There are many negative situations that make students depressed and very stressed with their academics. Students who lack endurance need conducive conditions through social support and strong optimism. This study aimed to test the effect of social support and optimism on the resilience of students working on their thesis. The subjects involved were 79 active students of the faculty of psychology. This study was conducted with quantitative methods using three scales: resilience, social support, and optimism. Sampling was performed using the purposive sampling technique, while the analysis employed the multiple linear regression technique. The results of the major hypothesis analysis …

Cognitive-Behavioral Counseling: A Strategy To Overcome Students’ Addiction To Tiktok Through Self-Instruction Method, Fiki Prayogi, Prio Utomo, Siti Zahra Bulantika

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

TikTok has influenced the development of student behavior. Therefore, a service strategy is needed to overcome TikTok addiction in students. This study aimed to determine whether there was a decrease in TikTok addiction in students after being given cognitive-behavioral counseling with the self-instruction method. The researchers employed experimental research with one group pretest-posttest designs as the research design. The research samples consisted of 18 students. The researchers utilized the TikTok addiction scale as the research instrument for collecting the data. The validity result of the instrument was in KMO value of 0.791 with Sig. of 0.000 (0.791 greater than 0.5). …

Indonesia And Malaysia Students’ Quality Of Life After The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study, Juster Juster Sinaga, Mawaddah Sarif, Siti Aishah Hassan

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

Learning from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and learning face-to-face at school with strict health protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic have long-term negative effects on the psychological health of students. This situation may impact life quality (QoL). To measure students’ quality of life, mixed methods were adopted. Participants in this research ranged in age from 12 to 19 years. The study involved a total of 139 research participants. Kidscreen-27 questionnaires with a reliability coefficient of 0.913 percent were used. The interviews were conducted according to a set of defined rules. This data was collected online. The analysis was quantitative, qualitative, …

Analyzing Children’S Trauma During The Covid-19 Pandemic Using Relational-Cultural Theory: A Literature Review, Septinda Rima Dewanti, Yuejiao Wu

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been extensively discussed, but only a limited number of studies investigate how pandemics are related to traumatic experiences for children. Using a literature review of 38 peer-reviewed articles, both qualitative and quantitative published in the reputable international journals, this study examines how pandemic situations trigger trauma in children. From the literature review, we concluded a number of impacts of Covid 19 on children, including their experience of sudden and shocking changes of events, loss, grief, domestic violence, Covid-19 infections, being surrounded by an adult experiencing mental health disturbance, and becoming the victim of …