Counseling Psychology Commons^™

Narratives Of First-Generation Mexican American Bilingual Licensed Counselors, Marleny Soriano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the growing demand for mental health services in Spanish, bilingual counselors are often ill-equipped to provide services in Spanish and frequently enter state-required supervised licensure without adequate training or opportunities for clinical supervision to support their growth as bilingual counseling professionals. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to answer the research question: What are the narratives of first-generation Mexican American bilingual counselors during supervised licensure? Guided by Anzaldua’s Borderlands Theory as a conceptual framework, data were collected from eight participants through semi-structured virtual interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed four themes mirroring the stages of …

The Integration Of Culture, Identity, And Belongingness In Emdr Therapy: Practitioners’ Perspectives, Robert Anthony Richards

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation examines how EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) practitioners approach power dynamics, identity, and belongingness in therapy from a multicultural and social justice perspective. Using a qualitative narrative research design guided by intersectional feminist epistemology, the study investigates how privilege, positionality, and belongingness influence clinicians’ approaches to EMDR therapy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine EMDR-trained practitioners from diverse sociocultural backgrounds to explore how relational, systemic, and contextual factors influence their clinical work. Thematic analysis was used to illuminate how EMDR practitioners navigate complex power dynamics both within the therapeutic alliance and in broader sociocultural contexts. Participants emphasized …

Wilderness Therapy As An Intervention For Teens Who Are At The End Of Their Rope, Blake C. Neal, Heather Summers

Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

Abstract

Wilderness therapy, treatment offered in a natural setting, is offered as an alternative to traditional treatment methods (Lodato, N., Blivas, R., & Blivas, N. L. and R., 2024). This model is often used as a last resort for teens who are unsuccessful in other environments. However, when used as a blanket treatment model for all mental health concerns, there is a risk for greater harm inflicted on participants. A case study approach provides evidence of a teen in one of these settings struggling with an eating disorder and self-harm. Although potentially helpful with some concerns, we learn from this …

Racial And Ethnic Minority Supervisees’ Experiences In Clinical Supervision, Destiny Chanel Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clinical supervision practices, although essential to counselor development, often reflect limited cultural competence among supervisors contributes to unclear expectations, conflicting roles, and isolation, leading to stress, negative internalization, and compromised professional development. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of racial and ethnic minority supervisees in clinical supervision within the mental health counseling profession. The research question was: What are the lived experiences of racial and ethnic minority supervisees who have been involved in clinical supervision? The framework guiding the study was hermeneutic phenomenology. Data from interviews with eight participants were analyzed using the …

Fostering Social Support On College Campuses, Shannon G. Kirkpatrick

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research project aims to explore social support received while attending an undergraduate institution and what can be done to improve it. During undergraduate years, students are confronted with many new stressful experiences. Given that social support can serve as a protective factors, it is important to explore how it functions within the context of the undergraduate experience. Many students do not utilize campus counseling services, even if their mental health declines from lack of social support. Students must feel supported by those that they interact with on and off campus, and if they are not, they must have somewhere …

Developing And Evaluating A Multidimensional Measure Of Pride In The Lgbtqia+ Community, Donovan Edward

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Pride in LGBTQIA+ spaces has thus far been an ethereal concept with no universally agreed-upon definition. Previous literature frequently connects pride to traits such as resilience, comfort, confidence, and identity expression. This is a critical oversight, as most measures of LGBTQIA+ experiences focus on the negative aspects of queer experiences (e.g., vulnerability, victimization) or are created to evaluate non-LGBTQIA+ perceptions of LGBTQIA+ people, falsely characterizing this community in a deficit-based light. In response, this study aimed to offer a holistic definition of pride and develop a psychometrically sound measure of pride stemming from culturally salient expressions by using rigorous analytical …

The Relationship Between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms And Reading Abilities And The Moderating Roles Of Parent-Teacher Involvement And Family Emotional Expressiveness, Tatiana Lombana Mims

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The present study focuses on how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms influence reading abilities and whether parent-teacher relationships and family emotional expressiveness moderate that relationship. This study provides further knowledge on the relationship between mental health struggles and academic performance and possible risk/protective factors. Structural equation modeling through AMOS 31 was used to construct path analysis models to analyze the significance of OCD symptoms on reading abilities with parent-teacher involvement and family emotional expressiveness, both positive and negative, as moderators. The relationship between OCD symptoms and reading abilities indicated a consistent negative association though not statistically significant. Parent-teacher involvement did indicate …

Social Media, Masculine Body Ideals, And The Drive For Muscularity: A Serial Mediation Model Across Sexual Identities, Sean P. Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Body image concerns among men are increasingly prevalent yet remain understudied compared to women’s experiences. Drawing on objectification theory, the present study examines the relationship between social media influence and men’s drive for muscularity through a serial mediation model. Specifically, the present study investigates whether the internalization of masculine body ideals and engagement in body surveillance behaviors mediate the link between social media influence and the drive for muscularity. Furthermore, the present study model attempts to explore how these processes differ across sexual identities, given evidence that sexual minority men face distinct sociocultural pressures regarding appearance. Adult male-identifying social media …

Showpony, George Theodore Ellington

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The poetry collection Showpony focuses on the real-life experiences of a woman in her twenties during the 1970s, who is treated by psychiatrist Dr. Robert J. Stoller at UCLA in a desperate attempt to make her normal. Mrs. G struggles with homicidal and suicidal thoughts, psychosis, as well as her homosexuality and transgender identity. Showpony examines the ways in which psychology has pathologized these experiences and the ramifications for patients, particularly those who have been publicly showcased as examples of their conditions used to train future students. The collection critiques the exploitation of patients by psychiatrists and psychologists, highlighting unethical …

Adolescent Cyberbullying And Polysubstance Use: Unpacking Sex Differences, Maggie K. Richardson, Osayande Agbonlahor, Joy L. Hart, Meman Diaby, Delvon T. Mattingly

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

The rise of social media platforms has heightened cyberbullying among adolescents, closely tied to negative mental health outcomes. Substance use, including alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco, also remains a significant concern for this population. This study examines the relationship between cyberbullying and substance use, exploring potential sex differences in these associations. We analyzed data from the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES) (n = 6,740 students in grades 9–12). We used multinomial logistic regression models to assess the relationship between past-year cyberbullying and current patterns of substance use (exclusive, dual, and poly), adjusting for sociodemographic factors, screen time, and mental …

The Conditional Effects Of Gender On Predictors Of Sport Injury-Related Growth, Amilya J. Bryant

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Sport injury-related growth (SIRG) describes an athlete’s perceived psychological benefits from a sport injury. The present study examines a sample of 54 collegiate athletes who have sustained a sport-related injury and their perceived SIRG. Expanding upon previous literature, this study compares internal and external resources as predictors of SIRG– specifically, athletic identity and spiritual well-being, and social support. Preliminary subscale analyses isolated existential well-being (EWB) and the social identity (SI) dimension of athletic identity as the internal resources. Subsequent regressions confirmed EWB, SI, and social support as predictors of SIRG. Exploratory subgroup and moderation analyses revealed that gender moderated the …

Emotion Regulation Difficulties And Substance Use: The Role Of Conscientiousness, Caitlyn M. Donnelly

Theses and Dissertations

Difficulties in emotion regulation have been consistently linked to substance use among college students. However, individual differences may influence this relationship. Conscientiousness, a personality trait characterized by self-control, planning, and goal-directed behavior, has been proposed as a potential protective factor. The present study examined associations among difficulties in emotion regulation, conscientiousness, and substance use behaviors, as well as whether conscientiousness moderates the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and substance use. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational design, data was collected from college students recruited through a university participant pool. Participants completed self-report measures of emotion regulation difficulties, conscientiousness, and substance use …

The Effects Of A Work-Strengths Affirmation Intervention On Death Anxiety: Meaning And Self-Esteem As Mediators, Begüm Orhan

Theses and Dissertations

Death anxiety is a transdiagnostic construct and a universally experienced existential fear that has been linked to a wide range of psychological difficulties, including anxiety, depression, and impaired well-being. Despite its widespread impact, empirical research on targeted interventions for death anxiety remains limited. The present study aimed to address this gap by developing and evaluating an online, single-session, theory-based (i.e., Terror Management Theory, positive psychology) intervention focused on affirming personal strengths in the context of one's work. The intervention was designed to target work-strengths (i.e., leadership, adaptability)—an intersection of positive and vocational psychology.

College students from a large Midwestern university …

The Caregiving Experience: Comparing Stress And Quality Of Life Among Caregivers Of Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mona Khayal

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This comparative cross-sectional study investigated caregiving burden, quality of life, and anxiety among primary caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder compared to caregivers of typically developing children. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, 66 caregivers (31 autism, 35 comparison) of children aged 6-18 completed the Zarit Burden Interview-12, WHO Quality of Life-BREF, and GAD-7. According to the results, autism caregivers reported substantially higher burden (M = 31.26 vs. 13.23, d = 2.42) and anxiety (M = 9.13 vs. 4.63, d = 1.04), with 90% exceeding clinical burden thresholds compared to 26% of comparison caregivers. Quality of life was lower across …

Associations Between Traumatic Life Events And Substance Use Among Black Men Who Are Incarcerated, Jasmine K. Jester, Brittany Miller-Roenigk, Paris B. Wheeler, Danelle Stevens-Watkins

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

The current study examined associations between traumatic life events, current and lifetime importance of mental health and substance use treatment, and crack cocaine use among 201 Black men who were incarcerated and nearing community reentry. Results indicated age, sexual trauma and lifetime importance of drug treatment were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of crack cocaine use. Substance abuse treatment in correctional settings should consider culturally tailored assessment and treatment for history of unaddressed sexual trauma among Black men who are incarcerated and use crack cocaine.

Brief Report: Naloxone Decline Among African American Kentuckians, Rayven Peterson, Mona Goggins, Destin L. Mizelle, Brittany Miller-Roenigk, Candice Hargons, Danelle Stevens-Watkins

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Opioid-involved overdose fatalities among African Americans continue to rise. The current study examines African Americans who reported use of opioids in the past 6 months and declined overdose education and free naloxone.   Method: Eligible participants included African American Kentuckians who used opioids in the past 6 months and consented to a larger study examining their opioid use. This paper qualitatively explored their reasons for declining overdose education and naloxone using an adjusted and inductive application of structural tabular thematic analysis.   Results: Out of 588 participants, 70 (12%) declined naloxone: the most cited reason for declining naloxone was already possessing …

Counselors' Lived Experiences Of Moral Injury: A Social Ecological Perspective, Lisa M. Belknap

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores the lived experiences of counselors who encountered moral injury when sociopolitical, institutional, and organizational conditions constrained their ability to practice in alignment with their personal morals, professional values, and the counseling profession’s code of ethics. Participants (N = 15) included licensed counselors who self-identified as having experienced moral injury in response to directives from legitimate authorities that conflicted with professional ethics, social justice commitments, or client welfare. Grounded in social ecological systems theory, this phenomenological study employed a confidential, cross-sectional online survey. Reflexive thematic analysis identified seven themes: (a) Profit Over People, (b) Structural Forces Contributing to …

Bridging Worlds Of Care: A Qualitative Exploration Of Integrating Non-Western Healing Modalities With Mental Health Counseling, Douglas Valdez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The aim of the study is to explore the experiences of practitioners who treat individuals presenting with depression and anxiety using culturally integrative non-Western healing modalities. Participants included 15 experienced practitioners (minimum five years of practice) who identified as Traditional Chinese Medicine providers (e.g., acupuncturists, herbalists) and/or Curandero/x/as. The approach was qualitative, utilizing open-ended survey responses collected electronically and analyzed with thematic analysis. Results indicated six primary themes: (a) Philosophies in Healing, highlighting culturally grounded conceptualizations of depression and anxiety; (b) Traditional Chinese Medicine Interventions, including acupuncture, botanical, nutritional, manual, and movement-based practices; (c) Curanderismo Pláticas and Integrative Western Healing …

"Why Don't I Talk To A Therapist?": Motivations And Reflections Of Female-Identifying Chinese Immigrants Seeking Psychotherapy For Depression, Qiuyi Wei

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Chinese immigrants and temporary residents struggling with depressive symptoms and their process of seeking and accepting psychotherapy support. The study aimed to describe the factors that motivated participants to enter therapy for depression while also addressing their internal concerns about treatment. Nine female-identified Chinese immigrant adults with such experiences were recruited. Participants’ perceptions of their depressive symptoms and the factors contributing to their decision to seek professional therapy were explored through in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted in Mandarin. The interview transcripts were analyzed in Mandarin using interpretative phenomenological analysis, through which four …

Bridging The Intention–Behavior Gap In Mental Health Help-Seeking, Wenqi Weng

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

Objective: To examine whether modifiable factors shape the extent to which help-seeking intention is translated into formal mental health service initiation among distressed adults. Method: Participants were U.S. adults (N = 777; M age = 47.21 years, SD = 16.70; 73.23% women; 77.74% White) who reported at least moderate psychological distress and were not currently receiving formal mental health treatment. At baseline, participants completed measures of help-seeking intention, focal moderators (action planning, psychological distress, and mental health steward self-identity), coping planning, cues to action, and emotion regulation as exploratory candidate moderators. At three-month follow-up, participants reported whether …