<p> This thesis explores the healing effects of surrender to and trust in the alchemical nature of the psyche to produce psychospiritual transformation toward wholeness and wellbeing. Through alchemical hermeneutic, heuristic, and intuitive methodologies the research explores healing outcomes of merging with the divine through a relationship with a guru, consciously being in a love relationship, and engaging with astrology as alchemical processes that help to integrate unconscious content into consciousness. The author observes the alchemical process in the merging of heaven and earth, or cosmos and psyche, as it weaves through her own life. She tracks the alchemy through which an interpersonal love relationship and encounters with the guru Mata Amritanandamayi produced both physical and emotional healing. The thesis also explores the psychotherapeutic use of astrology and suggests ways to integrate experiences of the divine, interpersonal love, and one's astrological chart into psychotherapy to support healing and movement toward wholeness.</p><p>

<p> This thesis explores the psychotherapeutic value of working with the archetypal energies of two goddesses from the Hindu pantheon, Saraswati and Lakshmi. Considering that the field of psychotherapy stands on a Eurocentric tradition and that there is a concomitant need for therapists to be culturally sensitive and inclusive, this is significant and worthy of inquiry. This thesis asks what benefit working with Saraswati and Lakshmi would have for clients, as well as what their inclusion would mean for the field of psychotherapy as a whole. A qualitative approach is married with both hermeneutic and heuristic methodology in order to plumb the possibility that constellating Saraswati facilitates the cultivation of a discerning observing ego, whereas invoking Lakshmi supports the scaffolding of a robust sense of self-esteem. </p><p>

Native Hawaiians are the indigenous people of Hawai'i or those living descendants from the original inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands. Despite the preponderance of evidence of health disparities within this community there is a scarcity of research on the mental health and psychological well-being of this population. Native Hawaiians and other indigenous peoples share a common history of devastating losses from the fallout of imposed colonialism including the decline of their cultural identity. Some research suggests that identifying with one's ethnic minority group may act as a psychological buffer and insulate the potential negative impact of some of the historical injustices, marginalization and disparities found within these groups (Outten, Schmitt, Garcia, & Branscombe, 2009; Smith & Silva; 2011). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the cultural variables of Hawaiian cultural affiliation, campus cultural congruence, and anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being among a sample of Native Hawaiian college participants (N =184). It was hypothesized that higher levels of cultural affiliation and cultural congruity would be inversely related to anxiety and depression. Additionally, it was hypothesized that higher cultural affiliation and cultural congruity would result in higher levels of psychological well-being and lower levels of psychological distress. A mediation model was used to further explore these relationships. Finally, the study explored how cultural congruity moderates the relationship between cultural affiliation and psychological well-being and psychological distress. Correlational analyses and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationships among these variables. The results confirmed that higher levels of cultural affiliation and cultural congruity were inversely related to anxiety and depression. Moreover, the findings indicated that cultural affiliation explained variance in psychological well-being over and above that accounted for by anxiety and depression, suggesting a direct effect between cultural affiliation and psychological well-being. Finally, it was found that Native Hawaiian students who reported both higher cultural affiliation and higher cultural congruity also reported greater psychological well-being, suggesting that the strength of campus cultural congruity moderates the impact of cultural affiliation on the psychological well-being of Native Hawaiian students. The limitations and implications for future research and counseling are discussed.

This purpose of this study was to understand the immediate and cumulative impact of experiencing a form of stereotyping, which characterizes an individual as suspicious - dangerous, aggressive, criminal, or otherwise threatening. Stereotypes are cognitive schema that contains the perceiver's beliefs and expectations about a particular group (Niemann, Jennings, Rozelle, Baxter, & Sullivan, 1994). While the specific stereotype content may vary across groups, criminal stereotypes affect multiple marginalized communities and play a central role in the historical oppression and disenfranchisement of people of color, immigrants, LGBT people, and poor people, among others, in the United States. While much is known about the social and political consequences of criminalization, less is known about the psychological and interpersonal consequences. Racial, class, and sexual and other disparities permeate many institutions in the United States, but perhaps nowhere is it more glaring and more destructive than within the criminal legal system. Racial disparities in incarceration rates, length of sentencing, profiling, police brutality, and penalty enhancements, are just some of the macro and measurable consequences of criminalizing stereotypes. This study specifically sought to explore the consequences on the individual and interpersonal levels. Interviews with nineteen participants and grounded theory data analysis reveal six core themes that emerged that appear to present across all groups, though the manifestations differ depending on the specific criminal archetype evoked. From these themes, an emergent theory was developed that attempts to explain both the immediate and long-term psychological and interpersonal consequences of this form of stereotyping. The model also reveals the process by which participants come to understand, survive, and resist this form of oppression in their lives. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Working with HIV-positive individuals may present a particular challenge to clinicians because of the phenomenon of stigma. Researchers have proposed that HIV stigma is layered with people's prejudiced attitudes toward already-stigmatized groups (e.g., sexual orientation, gender, race and ethnicity) in which people living with HIV/AIDS may have membership. Previous research has suggested that, clinicians' attitudes and reactions toward HIV and sexual orientation may significantly impact their therapeutic impressions, yet questions remain with regard to how clients' HIV status and racial identity may operate in confluence to influence clinicians' therapeutic impressions. This question may be particularly significant with regard to mental health professionals, as research also suggests that racial/ethnic minority clients can be perceived by their clinicians as more disturbed as a result of clinicians' biased racial attitudes. In the present study, case vignettes featuring hypothetical Black or White men who are either HIV-positive or HIV-negative were presented to participants to explore the influence of a client's HIV status and race upon participants' therapeutic impressions. Results indicated that participants' expectations of therapeutic process and evaluations of the clients' symptomatology were influenced by the clients' race and HIV status. Participants expected slightly greater session depth for the Black clients than the White clients in the vignettes, and their initial impressions of symptomatology were also slightly more negative toward the White clients in the vignettes. With regard to the main effect of client HIV status, participants expected slightly greater session depth for the HIV-positive clients than the HIV-negative clients in the vignettes. However, participants expected slightly less session smoothness for the HIV-positive clients in the vignettes, and they also reported lower assessment of psychological, occupational, and social functioning toward the HIV-positive clients in the vignettes. The potential interaction of the hypothetical client's race and HIV status and its effect upon participants' clinical impressions was not found significant. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

This study sought to address an existing gap in the multicultural research literature by exploring the impact of racial identity, ethnic identity, and racial socialization on perceptions of racial discrimination among Black Caribbean immigrants to the United States. Participants included 120 English-speaking Black Caribbean immigrant adults who completed a survey consisting of: a demographic information sheet, the Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale - Long Form (RIAS-L), the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), the Teenager Experience of Racial Socialization Scale (TERS), and the Perceived Racism Scale (PRS). A Pearson's correlational analysis found significant relationships between racial identity and ethnic identity, with the racial identity status attitudes Encounter, Immersion-Emersion, and Internalization being positively related to overall ethnic identity. Linear regression analyses were then conducted using racial socialization as a predictor variable and racial identity status attitudes as well as overall ethnic identity as criterion variables. Significant positive relationships were found between racial socialization and the racial identity status attitudes Encounter, Immersion-Emersion, and Internalization, as well as between racial socialization and overall ethnic identity. Two simple linear regressions were initially conducted in order to determine whether racial socialization might be predictive of perceptions of racial discrimination for the year as well as the lifetime. Significant positive relationships were found between racial socialization and perceived racism scores for both the year and the lifetime. Further regression analyses also found the racial socialization factor Cultural Alertness to Discrimination (CAD) to be a unique positive predictor of perceptions of racial discrimination for the year as well as the lifetime. Subsequent hierarchical regression analyses later indicated that racial socialization significantly predicted perceptions of racial discrimination for the year and the lifetime above and beyond racial identity. Racial socialization was also a significant predictor of perceptions of racial discrimination for the year and the lifetime after accounting for overall ethnic identity. Finally, MANOVA results indicated that first generation and second generation participants differed significantly on: the racial identity status attitude Encounter, overall ethnic identity, as well as the racial socialization factor Cultural Alertness to Discrimination (CAD). In sum, findings from the current study suggest that racial socialization experiences have a substantial impact on perceptions of racial discrimination and play an important role in racial and ethnic identity development. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The present study aimed to examine factors related to having access to marriage rights among same-sex couples (N = 221). Having access to, or being denied access to, marriage rights in participants' state of residence was the predictive variable of interest. Well-being, social support, gay-related stress and relationship satisfaction were factors of interest, with well-being the primary outcome variable of interest. While there has been a significant amount of research conducted over the past 15 years which has found discrimination against lesbians, gays and bisexuals [LGBs] to be prevalent (Herek & Sims, 2007; Meyer, 2003), and linked to a direct negative impact on LGBs psychological and physical well-being (Balsam, Rothblum & Beauchaine, 2005), little research has been done to examine the impact of institutional discrimination, such as marriage laws. This study utilized constructs measuring experiences of discrimination, couples' access to social support, relationship satisfaction, and overall well-being, as research has suggested that marriage impacts a couple's access to social support from family and larger community networks, which has been found to be associated with overall well-being and relationship satisfaction (Gove et al., 2005). This dissertation attempts to make a contribution to an emerging but primarily understudied area of research by providing insight into the experiences of same-sex couples. Primary hypotheses tested were whether access (or denial) to marriage rights impacts gay-related stress, relationship satisfaction, one's access to social support within their relationship, and how these variables are associated with one's overall well-being.

This study was conducted with a dual focus: the development of a practice model with families who had lost a baby due to SIDS and the testing of that model against the conventional counseling approach offered by the NYC SIDS Program. The social networking model, which was designed according to developmental research guidelines, was based on the consensus findings in the literature, as well as the author's clinical work with more than 500 SIDS families. This model emphasized social support as a key factor in coping with the death, resulting in a crisis intervention approach which sought to sensitize the existing network and create artificial support when necessary. Using a comparative research design, three primary hypotheses were established: (1) The social networking group would perceive greater social support. (2) The social networking group would experience a less problematic grief process. (3) The social networking group would experience a less problematic blame process. The data were collected during a one-year period at the Brooklyn Office of the NYC SIDS Program (MHRA). The sample was drawn from 82 infant deaths, resulting in 30 mothers in each group. Randomization occurred after the respondent met the criterion for inclusion, which was the perception of limited support at the first contact point. Mothers were interviewed at two weeks, three months and six months after the death and the design employed a measure of perceived support, a grief scale and separate indices of self-blame, blaming others and blame by others. The findings confirmed the primary hypotheses that mothers in the social networking group perceived greater support and experienced less grief and blame. The data also suggested a sequential model of change in the networking approach, wherein markedly improved perceptions of support coincided temporally with reductions in self-blame and perceived blame by others, followed by reductions in grief and blaming others later on. Qualitative analysis of case material indicated that within the networking group, mothers whose outcome was not optimal tended to report more concurrent psychiatric and social stressors and a less responsive social network, implying a mutually interactive coping process.

<p> The prevalence of sexual violence in the United States is a critical issue and the aftermath of sexual assault can have profound effects on psychological well-being. Rape Crisis Centers play a vital role in supporting sexual violence survivors. The framework through which Rape Crisis Center clinicians understand the experiences of survivors has a substantial impact on the course of counseling, how survivors interpret their own experiences, and survivors&rsquo; psychological health. A neoliberal medicalized framework conceptualizes distress post-sexual assault as a disease or disorder and places the responsibility on an individual to &lsquo;fix&rsquo; themselves, situating the problem within the person, rather than in a sociopolitical context. This framework has become increasingly prevalent in Western society and has permeated psychology. </p><p> The goal of the present study was to explore the impact of a neoliberal medicalized discourse on clinicians&rsquo; understandings of survivor distress and provide a counter-dialogue to the often polarizing conversations as to whether medicalization is &lsquo;good&rsquo; or &lsquo;bad.&rsquo; This study aimed to answer: 1) How does a medicalized discourse impact how Rape Crisis Center clinicians make meaning of their clients&rsquo; experiences post-sexual assault? And 2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a medicalized framework to understand the aftermath of sexual assault for survivors who seek services? Engaging in qualitative inquiry, a modified version of interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed. </p><p> Analysis revealed four master themes titled, <i>Wielding the Double-Edged Sword of the Medical Model, Navigating the Healing Process with Survivors, Stay in Your Lane: The Role of the RCC</i>, and <i>Understanding and Honoring Survivor Shame</i>. The themes are discussed in terms of how medical neoliberalism subtly influences clinicians&rsquo; work. Implications for social justice are considered, especially as they relate to Rape Crisis Centers&rsquo; aims to increase access for marginalized populations. Recommendations for researchers and clinicians working with sexual violence survivors are provided pertaining to (a) how to critically adopt a medical framework, (b) how to empower survivors with information about medication, (c) alternatives to individual counseling for survivors, and (d) future research with survivors to further explore the effects of medical neoliberalism on their conceptualizations of distress post-sexual assault.</p><p>

<p> This narrative inquiry explores stories of forgiveness among adult women who forgave their mothers after difficult relationships and are now doing well in their lives. The author addresses a lack of in-depth qualitative research exploring this topic and contributes to an understanding of forgiveness as a potential factor in an individual&rsquo;s ability to do well. In this study, forgiveness is understood as a personal choice, regardless of whether there has been a restoration of the relationship. Two participants gave an initial interview, which was followed up by two validation interviews. The author analyzed the interview data using a holistic-content and categorical-content analysis method to produce two individual narratives and one common themes narrative. Seven common themes were co-constructed: (a) revisiting mom&rsquo;s past and finding empathy doing so; (b) revisiting one&rsquo;s own past and finding empathy doing so; (c) standing up for one&rsquo;s self and finding self-empowerment; (d) a fracture in the relationship and separation; (e) reflecting and owning responsibility; (f) acceptance, forgiveness, and empathy moving forward; and, (g) finding gratitude and love. The findings add to the literature on lived experience of difficult childhoods and journeys toward forgiveness. Key findings are about empathy for self and others and may suggest that the literature on forgiveness has room to expand into this area of consideration. The findings may also be relevant as a consideration related to enduring anger or trauma.</p><p>