Counseling Psychology Commons^™

Supporting Transgender Students In Higher Education: Opportunities For Mental Health Professionals, Tracy G. Marsh

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

During the last decade, there has been a significant increase in visibility of transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) individuals, particularly in Western cultures. However, this increase in visibility has also prompted a concomitant surge in hate crimes and violence against TGNC persons and anti-TGNC legislation throughout the United States. Extant research, framed largely by Meyer’s minority stress model, has shown that TGNC persons experience greater rates of psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation and intent when compared to cisgender and lesbian, gay, and bisexual peers. Furthermore, TGNC students in higher education face specific challenges with regard to …

The Novice Licensed Professional Counselor's Perceived Preparedness To Use Self-Disclosure, Nicole Pfaff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Self-disclosure is used by feminist, humanistic, client-centered, and a variety of other counselors to build therapeutic alliances with clients. However, little research has been conducted on counselors' perceptions of their preparedness to use self-disclosure. This exploratory multiple-case study used attachment theory as a framework to explore the perceptions of novice licensed professional counselors' preparedness to use self-disclosure. The 12 participants who participated in face-to-face interviews practiced as licensed professional counselors in Delaware, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. The participants described how they learned, practiced, and used self-disclosure. After analyzing interview data through cycle coding and peer review, themes emerged showing participants' …

The Lived Experiences Of Counselors Working With Youth With Problem Sexual Behaviors, Beverly Crump

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Youth, between the ages of 12 and 17, account for the majority of sexual assaults in the United States. Counselors who work with youth with problem sexual behaviors need to have appropriate clinical skills to the degree to which clinical services increase the probability of effective results and are consistent with current professional knowledge. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of counselors who work with youth with problem sexual behaviors. A purposeful sample of 8 licensed professional clinical counselors employed at a mental health agency in one city in Ohio shared their experiences …

Factors Impacting The Financial Independence Of Women Who Were Teenage Mothers, Jeanette Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teenage pregnancy in the United States is a national concern because of negative outcomes for teen mothers and their children of teen mothers. There is ample research on the negative outcomes associated with teen pregnancy: however, there is little research on the success of teenage mothers. This transcendental, phenomenological study examined how former teenage mothers overcame challenges of teen pregnancy to become financially independent adults. The research question for this study was: What factors enabled former teen mothers to overcome challenges of teen pregnancy to become financially independent adults? Principles from social learning theory and resilience theory provided the conceptual …

Factors Impacting Parental Acceptance Of An Lgbt Child, Dani E. Rosenkrantz

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Chrisler’s (2017) Theoretical Framework of Parental Reactions When a Child Comes Out as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual suggests that parental reactions to having a non-heteronormative child are impacted by a process of cognitively appraising information about their child’s identity and experiencing and coping with emotional responses, both of which are influenced by contextual factors such as a parent’s value system. However, some religious values can challenge parents in the process of accepting a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) child. The purpose of this study was to test a model that examines the influence of cognitive-affective factors (cognitive flexibility, emotional …

Blessing Or Bs? Examining The Therapy Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Clients Obtaining Referral Letters For Gender Affirming Medical Treatment, Holly Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people who pursue gender affirming medical interventions, such as hormone therapy and surgery, are required to supply their physicians with referral letters from mental health professionals (Coleman et al., 2012). The process by which TGNC people are required to obtain referral letters before accessing gender affirming care is often referred to as gatekeeping in the TGNC literature (Budge, 2015; Cavanaugh, Hopwood, & Lambert, 2016). Despite implications that the current gatekeeping system may have for the relationship between TGNC clients and their therapists, few studies have examined TGNC individuals’ experiences related to obtaining referral letters in …

Exploring Critical Consciousness, Facilitating Black Liberation, Della V. Mosley

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The current study aimed to uncover processes and experiences that led individuals to critically engage in racial justice activism, specifically the Black Lives Matter movement. A constructivist grounded theory approach was utilized under critical-ideological and Black feminist paradigms in order to build a practical theory related to developing critical consciousness about oppression facing the Black community. Black activists in the movement between the ages of 23 and 60 (N=12) participated in intensive individual interviews. The result of the study is a co-constructed theory of racial justice activism development (the Critical Consciousness of Anti-Black Racism [CCABR] model) that can be used …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Classism And Career Agency, Lucy Charlene Parker

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Classism is a recently studied, but historically existent form of oppression. Classism may involve students feeling that they cannot pursue a degree or career due to discrimination related to their social class status. This study explored the relationship between classism, gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, and career agency through survey design research. Career agency is the primary dependent variable in this study. Career agency includes career choice, career forethought, and career related actions related. Psychometrically established instruments including The Experiences With Perceived Classism Scale-Short Form and The Career Futures Inventory-Revised were used to assess classism and career agency. Using this …

Effects Of Parent-Implemented Interventions On Outcomes Of Children With Developmental Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis., Tina Dyches, Timothy B. Smith, Barbara Mandleco, Byran Korth

Faculty Publications

Background: A large body of literature exists related to parent-implemented interventions for children with disabilities, so it is helpful to synthesize the results of outcome-based interventions for children with developmental disabilities. Specifically, what are the effects of parent-implemented interventions intended to improve children’s (1) social behaviors, (2) life skills/adaptive behavior, and (3) communication skills?

Method: Using meta-analytic aggregation of effect sizes across 30 studies with a total of 1,356 participants, this review examined the association between parent-implemented interventions and intended outcomes of young children with developmental disabilities.

Results: Across all 30 studies comparing children’s outcomes to control groups, the random …

The Imprint Of Childhood Abuse On Trauma-Related Shame In Adulthood, Joan A. Reid

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Research has consistently linked residual trauma-related shame among child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors to sexual revictimization, health risk behaviors, and poorer response to mental health treatment. However, questions remain regarding the imprint of childhood maltreatment on trauma-related shame including which CSA characteristics or types of childhood maltreatment contribute to residual shame in adulthood. Using data drawn from a prospective study of 174 primarily African American women with histories of CSA and a matched comparison group, this study explores whether specific characteristics of CSA (familial CSA, CSA with penetration, force used by CSA perpetrator), repeat sexual victimization in adolescence, childhood physical …

Psychological Abuse In Romantic Relationships And Associated Mental Health Outcomes, Jessica J. Peatee

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Many researchers hypothesize that experiencing psychological abuse in a romantic relationship may be more common than experiencing other forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) because psychological abuse often co-occurs with the presence of physical violence in a relationship and may be likely to occur on its own (Follingstad & Rogers, 2014; Hennings & Klesges, 2003). Some data have linked the experience of psychological abuse in a romantic partnership with mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and somatization (Rogers & Follingstad, 2014). Although, few empirical studies have examined the unique experiences of individuals who have endured psychological abuse alone (without …

Therapists' Attitudes, Knowledge, Comfort, And Willingness To Discuss Sexual Topics With Clients, Byron James Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Empirical literature indicated that marriage and family therapists are not comfortable discussing sexual topics with clients. The purpose of this cross-sectional correlational study was to examine the variables that may influence or predict a therapist's willingness to discuss sexual topics with clients. The research questions focused on understanding the predictive relationship between the independent variables of therapists' (a) attitudes, (b) knowledge, (c) training, (d) supervision experience, (e) clinical experience, (f) sex, (g) age, (h) strength of religion, (i) sexual orientation, (j) practice experience, (k) practice setting, and (l) graduate specialization, and the dependent variables of therapists' (a) willingness to discuss …

Therapists' Experiences Of Domestic Violence Among African American Lesbians, Barbara Camille Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, African American lesbians (AALs) experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) have received little or no support from therapists due to stigmas concerning the same-sex relationships of AALs in particular, who have been racially marginalized. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of therapists who provide counseling for AALs who have experienced IPV. The findings of this study may help to better understand the challenges, perceptions, and attitudes of therapists regarding their experiences in working with AALs in domestic violent relationships because existing research was limited on mental health therapists' perceptions of working with AALs …

Experiences Of Faculty Members Transitioning From Land-Based To Online Counselor Education, Natalie Hale

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A growing trend in counselor education in the United States is to accommodate current technological change by including more online academic opportunities. Slow to emerge in the counselor education literature is information that highlights how instructors have negotiated the move from land-based teaching to online teaching. A lack of knowledge about this transitional experience is concerning because counselor education programs might overlook important opportunities to support indeed, facilitate the transitional process. The purpose of this research study was to illuminate the experiences of counselor educators who have transitioned from land-based to online teaching. A transcendental phenomenological approach provided the framework …

Professional Identity Differences In Novice Counselors, Mary Dolores Katalinic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many researchers have found that differences exist in counselors' professional identity (PI) associated with gender, learning opportunities, and specialty area. However, researchers have not focused on the impact of counselors' type of education program (online vs traditional) to PI. The purpose of this study was to address this gap and determine if differences exist in PI across program types for novice counselors. The framework for this study was built around the concept of PI, defined as including knowledge, expertise, professional roles, attitudes, behaviors, and interactions. The research question was designed to examine the differences in PIs across traditional and online …

Frequency Of Cell Phone Texting And Social Competency In Adolescents, Anita Marie Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is no current research on the relationship between texting frequency, social competency development, and the moderating effect of gender in adolescents. A quantitative study involving a moderation design using multiple regression assisted in determining the relationship between cell phone texting and gender and whether or not the interaction of these variables predicted social competency development. The theoretical base that grounded this study was the taxonomic model of social competence, which identified the importance of examining social awareness abilities such as communication, an essential component for the development of social competency. The study included 74 participants. The participants were parents …

Academic Role And Professional Identity Development In Counselor Education, Seth Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional identity development occurs during graduate training through mentoring, modeling, and academic training by counselor educators. If counselor educators are to transmit this professional identity, they must possess a robust professional identity themselves. Professional identity development theory suggests that the strength of this professional identity may be threatened by a lack of belonging in academia for nontenured or contingent faculty. A correlational research design using a purposeful convenience sample was used to examine the relationship between academic role, employment status, years of experience, and professional identity among counselor educators. The participants (n=50) were counselor educators who subscribe to the CESNET-Listserv. …

Rediscovery Of Self After Counseling For Female Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Tiffany Crayton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have indicated that survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) have lost a sense of self while being with their abuser. But little or nothing has been published on the rediscovery of self after counseling among female survivors of IPV. The purpose of this phenomenological study which helped to guide the research question and the method of the study was to help bridge the gap in the professional counseling literature by exploring the rediscovery of self after counseling from the perspective of female survivors of IPV. The research question for this study examined the lived experiences of 7 women who …

Self-Compassion, Social Connectedness, And Interpersonal Competence, Jacob H. Bloch

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Self-compassion has consistently been found to be related to well-being (Barnard & Curry 2011). Most research has focused on the intrapersonal benefits of self-compassion, such as its positive relationships with happiness, optimism, positive affect (Neff & Vonk, 2009), and life satisfaction (Neff, Kirkpatrick, & Rude, 2007). In contrast, little research has addressed how engaging in self-compassion may be beneficial to one’s relationships. There is strong evidence that social connectedness (e.g. Lee, Draper, & Lee, 2001; Lee & Robbins, 1998; Mauss et al., 2011; Neff, 2003b) and interpersonal competence (e.g Fiori, Antonucci, & Cortina, 2006; Berkman & Syme, 1979; Delongis, Folkman, …

Spiritual Wellness As A Predictor For Moral Injury In Combat Veterans, Steve Zappalla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many combat veterans face difficulties coping with their personal lives, relationships, and families when they leave the service and return to civilian life. Most studies examining the effects of combat on veterans focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as a collection of related consequences. Interest in the term moral injury of military veterans as a related mental health construct has grown. Researchers have investigated the effects of spiritual wellness of combat veterans. However, there is a paucity of counseling literature on the relationship between spiritual wellness and moral injury when combat veterans return to civilian life. Investigating the …