Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Adapting An Evidence-Based Intervention To Improve Social And Behavioral Competence In Head Start Children: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Teacher–Child Interaction Training, Christopher Campbell

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Empirical studies indicate that as many as 35% of Head Start children meet the diagnostic criteria for oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder (Webster-Stratton & Hammond, 1998). Without early intervention, these problematic behaviors may become stable across childhood and adolescence (Campbell, 1995), increasing the likelihood of academic problems, school drop-out, substance abuse, delinquency, and violence (Snyder, 2001). Head Start children are also more likely to enter school with significant deficits in social-emotional readiness, with a many as 40% demonstrating delays in social competencies and communication abilities (Kaiser et al., 2000). Longitudinal research indicates that early gaps in social competence for …

The Recovery Of Cognitive And Social Cognitive Functioning In Response To Social Cognition Interaction Training Administered In Community Settings: A Longitudinal Study, Lena Reddy

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Psychosocial rehabilitation for persons with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) encompasses recovery of functioning in a broad array of domains, including neurocognitive, social cognitive, interpersonal, occupational, and self-care abilities. There is extensive evidence that improvements in these domains are possible as a result of targeted interventions, and that these improvements may generalize to other areas of daily functioning. The current study explored rehabilitative change over time among adults with SMI that were attending outpatient day centers. Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT), a cognitive-behavioral skills-training modality, was implemented during the time period in which the data was collected. Forty adults participated …

Impulsivity And Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) Testing Competing Predictions From The Working Memory And Behavioral Inhibition Models Of Adhd, Joseph S. Raiker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Impulsivity is a hallmark of two of the three DSM-IV ADHD subtypes and is associated with myriad adverse outcomes. Limited research, however, is available concerning the mechanisms and processes that contribute to impulsive responding by children with ADHD. The current study tested predictions from two competing models of ADHD – working memory (WM) and behavioral inhibition (BI) – to examine the extent to which ADHD-related impulsive responding was attributable to model-specific mechanisms and processes. Children with ADHD (n = 21) and typically developing children (n = 20) completed laboratory tasks that provided WM (domaingeneral central executive [CE], phonological/visuospatial storage/rehearsal) and …

Profiling Executive Dysfunction In Adolescents With Autism, Nicole R. Rogers

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Executive Functions (EF) have been assigned a causative role in a number of disorders, including schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, violent and criminal behavior, and nearly all learning disabilities. While the term executive functions in the professional literature easily yields more than 150 references, empirical research in which executive functions are studied and linked with specific disorders, such as autism, continues to help answer long-held questions about the disorder and adds to the literature base in order to better understand and treat the disorder. The purpose of this study was to review archival data collected using the Behavior …

The Claremont Autism Center, Alex E. Mitchell Mr.

CMC Senior Theses

The Claremont Autism Center is a 23 minute documentary on the strengths and benefits the Center brings to Claremont McKenna students, as well as children and families from the Inland Empire that deal with Autism on a daily basis.

Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Training And Its Impact On Attitudes Toward Help Seeking, John Angelo Cascamo Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Trainings such as Question Persuade and Refer (QPR) are used to increase suicide awareness and teach participants basic suicide intervention skills. Previous researchers showed that QPR training increases knowledge of suicide risk factors and increases participants' willingness to intervene with individuals at risk of suicide. It was hypothesized that completion of QPR would also increase positive attitudes toward the utilization of mental health services and that this outcome would be more pronounced among male participants. The examination of attitudes was rooted in the theoretical framework of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. The Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking …

Cognitive Defusion And Psychological Flexibility With Self-Relevant Academic Distress Stimuli, Laura Ely

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A distinctive feature of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is cognitive defusion. Rapid word repetition is one of the exercises used in ACT to promote defusion. Previous research has examined the effect of this exercise with the general population, using words representing negative self-referential thoughts. Studies have found that discomfort and believability of these thoughts decrease more following this defusion exercise as compared to a thought distraction task. The present study evaluated the effects of the word repetition defusion exercise using content reflecting academic distress, in an undergraduate sample primed to feel academic anxiety. The defusion exercise was compared to …

Using Environmental Sounds To Initiate Receptive Language Training For Children With Autism, Woan Tian Chow

Dissertations

A pre-test showed that three pre-school children with autism had difficulty learning to match spoken words to objects (receptive identification). Therefore, they were first taught to match environmental sounds to objects (e.g., to touch a tambourine, when they heard the sound of the tambourine) and then to match spoken words to other objects while continuing to match the mastered environmental sounds to the original objects.

For all three children, simply learning the environmental-sound/object matching did not facilitate learning spoken-word/object matching; however intermixing the training of spoken-word/object matching with the previously mastered environmentalsound/ object matching did result in the mastery of …

African American Experiences Of Race Relations In The Supervision Dyad, Brandi L. Pritchett-Johnson

Dissertations

Everything we do is embedded within multiple contexts of collective and individual historical events that culminate in present day encounters. As an increasing number of racial minorities have entered the ranks as mental health practitioners, the configuration of the treatment and the supervision dyad has changed (Owens-Patterson, 2002). The fundamental aim of this study explored, captured, and described the supervision experience from the nuanced perspective of African American supervisors. A qualitative approach was employed using in-depth interviews to capture the complexity of race relations within the supervision dyad through an African Centered framework, aiding in our understanding of supervised training …

Effectiveness Of A Motivational Enhancement Group Treatment In A Community Treatment Program With A Substance Abusing Population, Matthew S. Willerick

Dissertations

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a directive, client-centered intervention to elicit behavior change by assisting clients in the exploration and resolution of ambivalence toward change. MI-inspired approaches have been used in an attempt to facilitate change in a wide variety of domains including alcohol and drug abuse, safe water handling practices, dual diagnoses, gambling, spousal abuse, health related areas, mood and anxiety disorders, and parental engagement. MI seeks to resolve ambivalence in the direction of change by increasing the client's self-efficacy. This is accomplished by combining clientcentered (e.g., reflective listening) and directive strategies (e.g., attending selectively to change statements). The origins …

The Relationship Of Interpersonal Sensitivity, Identity Impairment, And Binge Eating Disorder Among College Women, Rachel M. Sienko

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the association of identity impairment and interpersonal sensitivity (IPS) with binge eating disorder (BED). A convenience sample of 295 female undergraduate psychology students from a large Midwestern university was recruited to complete an online survey. Three primary hypotheses were tested: (1) IPS (high fear of negative evaluation and selfconsciousness) would be associated with binge eating; (2) Identity impairment (few total and positive possible selves, many negative possible selves, and a high ratio of negative to total possible selves) would be associated with binge eating; and 3) There would be a significant interaction between identity impairment and IPS …

Psychosocial Treatment Of Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Laura E. Knouse, Steven A. Safren

Psychology Faculty Publications

In this chapter, we first review the rationale for psychosocial treatment of adults with ADHD. We then focus on treatment programs that have received support in the research literature, highlighting the role of comprehensive assessment. Drawing upon existing interventions, as well as clinical guidelines and our clinical experiences in the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program for Adult ADHD at Massachusetts General Hospital, we present recommendations for psychosocial treatment planning with this population. We conclude with a brief discussion of psychosocial management of comorbid disorders.

Evaluating The Effects Of Camera Perspective In Video Modelingfor Children With Autism: Point Of View Versus Scene Modeling, Courtney Cotter

Dissertations

Video modeling has been used effectively to teach a variety of skills to children with autism. This body of literature is characterized by a variety of procedural variations including the characteristics of the video model (e.g., self vs. other, adult vs. peer). Traditionally, most video models have been filmed using third person perspective (i.e., scene models), where the viewer is watching the actor perform in a scene. Recently, studies have successfully incorporated the use of first person perspective into video models (i.e., point of view models), where the view is directly from the actor's point of view. Currently, no studies …

Testing The Effectiveness Of An Interactive Multimedia System To Train Clinicians In Behavioral Activation, Suzanne E. Decker

Dissertations

Although many treatments for mental health disorders have been found to be effective in research, community clinicians may not receive training in such empirically supported treatments, and therefore, individuals suffering from disorders may not have access to empirically supported treatment in the community. This study examined the use of an interactive multi-media computerized therapy program, Building a Meaningful Life through Behavioral Activation, as a training tool for mental health clinicians (N=21) using a pre-post study design. Participating clinicians were invited to complete this computer program over the course of several weeks, and to complete knowledge quizzes and written responses …

The Influence Of A Personal Practice Of Meditation On One’S Therapeutic Practice, William W. Fitzgerald

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to examine counseling professionals’ personal experience with meditation and how it influences their clinical work, including the formation of a therapeutic relationship. Using phenomenological methods, data were gathered from 10 psychotherapists and then analyzed.

There has been a great deal of effort devoted to investigating what contributes to positive counseling outcome for clients. One constant in the therapeutic process is the person of the therapist. While the person of the therapist is frequently mentioned in the literature, much less attention has been given to the examination of personal development paths of the therapist. Little …

Psychometric Properties Of Diagnostic Assessment Instrumentsfor Autism Spectrum Disorders In A Community Sample Aged 2 Through 17 Years, Sheryl Lozowski-Sullivan

Dissertations

Recent estimates of the incidence and prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) indicate substantial increases over the past 20 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009; Fombonne, 2009; Matson & Kozlowski, 2011; Schreibman & Koegel, 2005; Wing & Porter, 2002), in part because of the availability of significantly improved diagnostic assessment instruments (Lord & Corsello, 2005; Schreibman, 2005). In highly structured research settings, some of these diagnostic instruments correlate well with each other; however, few studies have examined the relation between these diagnostic tools in traditional clinical practice (Mazefsky & Oswald, 2006; South et al, 2002). This study examined …

Dosed Versus Prolonged Exposures: A Direct Comparison Of One-Session Treatments For Animal Phobias, Richard William Seim

Dissertations

It is widely accepted that for exposure-based therapies to be effective feareliciting stimuli must be presented continuously until there is a marked decrease in the client's anxiety (e.g., Eysenck, 1979; Foa & Kozak, 1986). However, an emerging body of research (cf. Seim, Waller, & Spates, 2010) suggests that a massed series of very brief exposures (< 150 sec) may be effective in the extinction of fear responses. The present study was designed to compare the efficacy and acceptability of two one-session treatments for animal phobias: one that utilized continuous, uninterrupted periods of exposure to a feared animal (Prolonged Exposures) and the other that utilized a massed series of brief (5-120 sec) exposure trials (Dosed Exposures). 24 adults (7 males, 17 females) between the ages of 18 and 57 years (M = 23.6) participated in this study. Each individual met DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of snake phobia or spider phobia. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two the two interventions. Both treatments required participants to gradually enter a room, approach, and eventually hold a live ball python or tarantula. Results from mixed model (between x within subjects) analyses of variance showed that the Dosed Exposure treatment performed equally well to Prolonged Exposures at decreasing behavioral avoidance, feelings of anxiety, perceptions of threat, and phobiaspecific cognitions from pre-treatment to post-treatment, and these gains were maintained at one-week follow-up. Although participants receiving Prolonged Exposures reported lower ratings of within-session anxiety, participants in the Dosed Exposure group had lower rates of treatment dropout, better compliance with procedures, and fewer safety-seeking behaviors during the treatment. These findings suggest that, contrary to popular belief, brief exposure trials can be effective in the extinction of phobic responses under certain conditions.

Soviet Holocaust Survivors: An Ethnographic Study, Marina Shafran

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to help understand the lives, worldview, and meaning making of Soviet Holocaust survivors currently residing in the United States. Ethnographic interviews were conducted to explore survivor's childhood, family life, religion, political views, work, and social life. These areas were examined during the following time periods: pre-WWII, during WWII, and post-WWII.

From the collected and analyzed data I was able to offer an insight into the experiences of five Soviet Holocaust survivors under the Soviet regime. I described the struggles that the survivors experienced during the Holocaust, the losses they had suffered, and the …

Discriminating Emotions And Engaging Difficult Emotional Material: Implications For Process And Outcome In Written Disclosure, Stephanie L. Nassar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Written disclosure participants have experienced numerous psychological and physiological benefits, as compared to those who wrote about neutral topics (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005; Corter & Petrie, 2011; Frattaroli, 2006; Pennebaker & Chung, in press). Given the beneficial results of expressive writing commonly found among healthy participants, exploration of this method was expanded to broader populations with mixed results. Researchers have attempted to provide a rationale for why, when, and with whom written disclosure works. As emotional clarity and experiential avoidance have been linked to psychological well-being, this study examined their relative contributions to written disclosure benefits. Participants self-reported on measures …

Meaning In Life, Depression, And Alcohol Use In A College Sample, Lindsay Wilson Schnetzer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The meaning construct has been researched over the last several decades, yielding important empirical advancements in our understanding of its impact on psychological well-being. Comdenominators among various definitions of meaning and life purpose are (1) an emphasis on the significance of life (2) an awareness of coherence, and (3) the fulfillment of unique purpose. Research suggests that meaning and depression are related yet distinct variables, that depression and alcohol abuse are comorbid, and that meaning and alcohol use are significantly associated. Because there is minimal research examining relations among all three variables, and because there have been inconsistent findings with …