Counseling Psychology Commons^™

Better Serving Those Who Serve: Supporting Psychological Wellness Of Lgb Military Personnel In The Post “Don’T Ask Don’T Tell” Era, Anne Neuweiler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have been able to explore lesbian, gay, and bisexual military personnel’s experiences in military mental healthcare settings. This study examined the experience of LGB servicemembers in military counseling environments, as well as how to support these servicemembers in military mental health and military communities. Six participants volunteered for the study and six semi-structured interviews were completed with LGB servicemembers who had contact with mental health. Three research questions guided the present study and a transcendental phenomenological frame was used to analyze the data and themes emerged. Research question one yielded three themes: 1) “I'm Definitely not Gay”: The …

The Multicultural Orientation Framework In Couple Therapy, Jasmine R. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Couples’ cultural values and beliefs are important to their relational connection. Cultural values and beliefs can be sources of strength in relationships, but they can also lead to impasses. As such, clinicians and researchers could benefit from a cultural framework to inform conceptualization and treatment when working with couples. The Multicultural Orientation (MCO) framework has three pillars: cultural humility, cultural comfort, and cultural opportunities. The MCO framework is empirically supported for use in individual and group psychotherapy but has not been applied to couple therapy. This dissertation includes two parts. First, we outline a conceptual framework for the application of …

A Phenomenological Study Of Caregivers For Sexual Minority Hospice Patients, Catherine H. Bianchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals face disproportionate barriers in healthcare across the lifespan that persist and often intensify at the end of life. Despite hospice’s mission to provide comfort, dignity, and patient-centered support, it remains unclear whether these services equitably meet the needs of sexual minority patients. Seeking hospice care presents a unique conundrum for many LGB individuals: it necessitates inviting representatives of a historically exclusionary healthcare system into the privacy of their homes - spaces that often serve as sanctuaries of identity, safety, and autonomy. The already vulnerable experience of seeking care in one’s final days can be …

Supervisee Barriers To Disclosure And The Supervisory Working Alliance, Rachel G. Hughitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated barriers influencing supervisees’ willingness to disclose clinical errors in mental health training contexts, with a focus on the supervisory working alliance (SWA) as a potential moderating factor. Participants read two vignettes – one describing a clinical error and the other a client concern – and were asked to indicate which case they would discuss with their supervisor. They also completed the Brief Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory–Trainee Form (BSWAI-T) and the Supervisee Disclosure in Supervision Scale (SDSS), which assessed the quality of the supervisory alliance and perceived barriers to disclosure, including fear of negative evaluation, lack of confidence, …

Transgender Individuals’ Experiences Of Ruptures And Repairs In Group Psychotherapy, Gabrielle W. Kaufman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the political climate across the United States worsens for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals (Harmon, 2025), it has become increasingly important to attend to the mental health needs of this population (James et al., 2016). Group therapy is a widely used treatment modality that is often more accessible than individual therapy (Burlingame & Strauss, 2021) and provides unique interpersonal opportunities (Burlingame et al., 2016). While it is expected that TGD individuals face unique challenges in group therapy due to their gender identities (Chen et al., 2020), very little is actually known about the experiences of TGD individuals participating …

Trainee Countertransference And Competency In Bereavement Therapy: Strengths And Limitations Of The Wounded Healers, Meghan Paynter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Countertransference is a common experience in therapy, happening among clinicians of all stages of their career and the outcomes of this experience hinge largely on how countertransference is managed. Challenging topics, such as grief, only make countertransference harder to manage effectively and the management of this experience improves with practice and time—something trainees have not yet ascertained. Given the pervasiveness of grief as a human experience, also indiscriminate in nature, the experiences of trainees experiencing countertransference are important to understand, including what is experienced, how they experience it, and how it impacts their process and self-perception of confidence and competence …

The Developmental Cohort Model Of Interpersonal Process Groups: A Clinician's Guide For University Counseling Centers, Lauren Caldas

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The purpose of this paper is to outline a clinician's manual that guides providers in the development, facilitation, and maintenance of long-term interpersonal process groups (IPGs) within university counseling centers (UCCs). This manual also presents a new model: The Developmental Cohort Model (DCM), which utilizes a stepped model throughout a traditional student's college timeline. I will present this manual in the context of the Developmental Cohort Model (DCM), but it can certainly remain useful for any type of IPG. Research suggests that group therapy is an effective way to increase access to mental health care (Burlingame & Strauss, 2021) and …

Psychosocial Challenges As Predictors Of Transactional Sex Among Undergraduates In Ondo State, Nigeria, Ifeoluwa Blessing Michael, Oyedotun Dolapo Ilori, Patrick O. Akerele

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

The study investigated the psychosocial challenges predictive towards engaging in transactional sex among undergraduates within Ondo State, with the moderating role of demographic variables weighed heavily. Employing a descriptive survey design, data were gathered from 404 undergraduates by means of a validated questionnaire (reliability = 0.86) randomly sampled from two public and two private universities. Amongst the findings from descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were that peer pressure, financial instability, family dysfunction, and emotional health challenges had significant correlations with involvement in transactional sex while jointly explaining 46.6% of the variance. Financial instability was the strongest predictor, followed by …

Effectiveness Of Kipas Counseling In Reducing Students' Academic Procrastination, Dimas Ardika Miftah Farid, Mochamad Nursalim, Evi Winingsih

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

Academic procrastination is a common issue that hinders students' academic success and psychological well-being. In junior high school, where self-control is still developing, students are particularly vulnerable to distractions and delay in completing academic tasks. To address this issue, counseling approaches grounded in cultural values may offer effective solutions. This study aims to measure the effectiveness of KIPAS (Intensive Progressive Adaptive Structure Counseling) in reducing academic procrastination in junior high school students. A quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest measurements was employed, involving seven students who exhibited high levels of academic procrastination. The measurement scale used assessed the amanah dimension, …

Sexual Intervention Self-Efficacy In Clinical And Counseling Psychology Doctoral Trainees: Examining Education, Family Sexual Communication, And Sex Positivity, Sara Aigen

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Sexual wellbeing is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of psychological health. Despite its significance, many psychologists report discomfort and low self-efficacy in addressing clients’ sexual concerns. The current study examined factors associated with sexual intervention self-efficacy among doctoral trainees in clinical and counseling psychology. Specifically, it investigated whether family communication about sex and didactic education in sexuality predicted sexual intervention self-efficacy and whether sex positivity moderated these relationships. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with 166 doctoral students enrolled in APA-accredited programs across the United States. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and measures assessing family sexual communication, sex positivity, …

The Impact Of Alternatives To Incarceration And The Motherhood Identity On Mothers And Their Children: A Qualitative Study, Chloe Blau

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The U.S. prison system population increasingly includes women, a significant proportion of whom are mothers, often incarcerated for non-violent crimes. Some research suggests that alternative to incarceration (ATI) programs can help these women to continue supporting their children while serving their sentences and receiving services that may decrease recidivism. However, few studies have explored the lived experiences of women in these programs. This dissertation investigates the impact of participating in ATI programs on mothers and their relationship to their motherhood identity, their ability to mother, and their relationship with their children. Using a qualitative approach to better understand how women …

The Impact Of Family Violence On Bullying Behaviour Among Secondary School Students In Ilorin Metropolis, Oyedotun Dolapo Ilori, Patrick O. Akerele, Ifeoluwa Blessing Michael

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

Family violence remains a significant social issue with far-reaching consequences for adolescents, particularly in shaping their behavioural tendencies, including bullying. This study examines the impact of family violence on bullying behaviour among secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis, which comprises three Local Government Areas (Ilorin South, Ilorin West, and Ilorin East). The study adopts a descriptive survey research design to assess the extent to which exposure to family violence influences students' bullying behaviours, while also considering the role of peer influence. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 417 students from both public and private secondary schools in Ilorin …

Counselors’ Competency Development In Suicidal Ideation Assessments Of Black American Adolescents, Salita Mcclelland Wynn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black American adolescents have increased rates of suicidal ideation above what is noted in the general U.S. youth and adolescent population. An in-depth literature supports the notion that many counselors and mental health clinicians, post-graduation from their training programs, feel ill-equipped to assess suicidal ideation in Black American adolescents. The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences and competence of counselors who have clinical experience working with Black American adolescents who have suicidal ideation. Prior to the inception of this research, no other documented study addressed counselor competence with assessing suicidal ideation in Black …

The Lived Experiences Of Clinically Licensed Counselors During Covid-19, Deirdre F. Haynes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be an equal opportunity crisis. There is substantial research to better understand how individuals have reacted to crisis experiences like the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the lived experiences of clinically licensed counselors during COVID-19. This gap in the literature is important because the increase in the number of individuals seeking counseling to deal with their fears and concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic may have put a strain on counselors that were also experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to bridge the …

The Treatment Experiences Of Female Domestic Violence Offenders Who Have Completed Court-Mandated Counseling Programs, Chelsea S. King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence is a significant societal problem. However, aspects of domestic violence (DV) perpetrated by women are often overlooked or inadequately addressed in existing counseling and intervention programs, leaving counselor educators ill-equipped to effectively train counselors to treat this specific population. The research question addressed the treatment experiences of female DV offenders who completed court-mandated counseling programs. Given the limited current research on female domestic violence offender treatment, Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenological methodology was employed to further understand the perspectives of participants, potentially identifying areas of improvement and addressing the needs of female program participants. Semistructured interviews were completed with six …

How Was Rehab? A Follow-Up To A Randomized Effectiveness Control Trial Of A Brief Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Protocol For Inpatient Detoxification Patients, Alexander J. Twohy

Dissertations

Residential treatment for Substance Use Disorders (SUD) is a common treatment modality. However, the literature is sparse on modifiable predictors that affect change during the residential treatment stay. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for SUDs. Weststrate et al. (2023), in a randomized controlled effectiveness trial, compared ACT plus medication management to medication management during detoxification. The addition of ACT increased consumer satisfaction and ACT skills use, while decreasing psychological inflexibility and reducing withdrawal symptoms.

This study explored whether the brief ACT intervention had impacts during participants' subsequent residential stay. Forty out of …

A Focused Ethnography: Mental Health Therapists In Pediatric Integrated Care, Melanie Agustin

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The scope of practice for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and counseling residents (LPC-R) in integrated behavioral health (IBH) settings is grounded in accredited, theory-informed education and training. The benefits of IBH models are well-documented, however there is limited research that addresses how counselors develop professionally and clinically function, while navigating within pediatric inpatient environments. This qualitative dissertation used a focused ethnographic design to explore the lived experiences of ten purposively sampled counselors (n = 10) through demographic surveys, field observation, and semi-structured interviews. Reflexive journaling bracketed researcher bias, and thematic analysis, supported by NVivo and new member checking, guided interpretation. …

The Moderating Effects Of Motivation And Adhd On The Relationship Between Academic Burnout And Prescription Stimulant Misuse Among College Students With Adhd, Joshua Matthew Villanos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examined whether ADHD symptom severity and motivational orientations moderate relationships between academic burnout and stimulant outcomes in college students with ADHD symptoms. Using a cross-sectional survey design, 180 undergraduate students who screened positive for ADHD symptoms completed measures assessing academic burnout, motivation orientations, ADHD symptomatology, and prescription stimulant misuse behaviors and expectancies. Testing these moderation hypotheses addresses important gaps in understanding risk and protective factors that may influence stimulant misuse risk. Negative binomial regression was employed for stimulant misuse analyses using the full sample (N = 180), while linear regression examined expectancies across all participants. Results revealed one …

"I'Ll Leave The Back Porch Light On:" An Exploration Of The Legitimization Of Same-Gender Male Couple Members Through Marriage And Parenthood For Those With Adverse Coming Out Experiences, Devin S. Simpkins

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Reczek and Bosley-Smith (2022) identified several reasons why queer adult children reported feeling compelled to maintain relationships with their rejecting parents, and the strategies that they utilized to do so. The construct of legitimization exists within a heteronormative context, contributing to the theory that adherence to cis-heteronormative relational ideals allows same-gender couples to have a greater chance of being accepted by the dominant culture (Chevrette & Eguchi, 2020). Unintentional or deliberate aligning with idealized images of traditional (i.e., cisgender and heterosexual) couples or families is a means by which same-gender couples may seek this acceptance.

The present study sought to …

Investigating The Effects Of Drinking Environments On Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategy Use, Perceived Self-Efficacy, And Perceived Effectiveness Through Experimental Vignette Design, Skyler Hoover

Dissertations

Derived from a Social Cognitive Theory framework (Bandura, 1986), the aim of this study was to assess the impact of different drinking environments on college students’ expected use of alcohol protective behavioral strategies, perceived effectiveness of those strategies, and perceived self-efficacy to use them. To accomplish this, we sought out to create and employ experimental vignettes consisting of a bar/club or party drinking environment in a two-part study. Study one aimed to pilot test the vignettes prior to their use in study two, whose aim was to test our initial hypotheses. Both analytic samples were recruited from a nationwide participant …