African American college students face a myriad of unique race related stressors on campus, yet there is a gap of knowledge on how these experiences may impact overall health as well as what may mediate these effects. The goal of the current study was threefold. First, it was to better understand the relationship between health outcomes and the experience of discrimination on college campuses for African American students. Second, it further investigated the research of Pieterse & Carter (2007), to explore if perceived discrimination influences health outcomes above and beyond general life stress in the emerging adult population. Lastly, it explored potential protective factors by examining if the relationship between health outcomes and the experience of discrimination is mediated by socio-cultural group involvement in the form of fraternities and sororities. 133 African American college students from a south eastern predominantly White university completed the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment to explore these research aims. Racial discrimination was positively correlated with negative health outcomes, however experience of discrimination did not influence health outcomes above and beyond general life stress. Additionally, belonging to a fraternity or sorority did not mediate the relationship between the experience of discrimination and negative health outcomes. The results suggest that the discrimination African American college students face on predominantly white campuses are harmful to overall health, yet more needs to be explored to find adequate interventions to these negative health outcomes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A&M University, 2005. / "Major Subject: Counseling Psychology" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Feb. 23, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A&M University, 2005 / "Major Subject: Counseling Psychology" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Feb. 23, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A&M University, 2005. / "Major Subject: Counseling Psychology" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Feb. 23, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A & M University, 2003. / "Major Subject: Counseling Psychology." Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A & M University, 2003. / "Major Subject: Counseling Psychology." Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

<p> Research has shown that providing therapy clients with a treatment consistent with their preferences can increase the effectiveness of the therapy, possibly by reducing the dropout rate or by increasing the level of therapeutic alliance. Client preference and spirituality/religion were identified as two of four areas that can be responsibly adapted to the client while still maintaining evidence based practice. The purpose of this study is to examine if an individual who reports as highly spiritual will prefer a mindfulness based therapy (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) over a traditional evidence based treatment (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).</p>

<p> The positive psychotherapy focused on for this study is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). Insoo Kim Berg and Yvonne Dolan (2001) once described the essence of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) as the &ldquo;pragmatics of hope and respect&rdquo; (p. 1) and despite Berg and Dolan&rsquo;s declaration of hope&rsquo;s importance in SFBT, little process research has been published looking at the &ldquo;pragmatics&rdquo; of hope in SFBT practice. Hope is seen as a common factor in psychotherapy since the human relationship, also known as the therapeutic alliance, is a foundation of psychotherapy. Hope plays a significant role in every human interaction and it is seen as a common factor in human relationships. </p><p> To begin to address this gap, a pilot study was conducted of an Insoo Kim Berg training recording, <i>Irreconcilable Differences,</i> in order to explore how she listened, selected and built hope in her work. Based on a SFBT technique focus, the preliminary results suggested Insoo Kim Berg builds hope relationally through the solution-building by working within the clients&rsquo; focus and their presenting problem. Four different yet interrelated hope phases in the SFBT solution building process were identified. To address this gap further, based on a SFBT stage focus, three cases by Insoo Kim Berg were analyzed in this study, <i>Irreconcilable Differences, Over the Hump,</i> and <i>I&rsquo;d Hear Laughter.</i> The goal of this research was to demonstrate the how Berg listened, selected, and built hope with clients to validate her progression within and across the five SFBT solution-building stages, in all three cases through constant comparison, and to show how these findings are congruent with SFBT hopeful tenets. All with the intention of allowing the pragmatics of hope and respect to become more transparent for future SFBT practitioners. </p><p> Findings suggested building hope appears to be a relational process to building solutions and is co-constructed. Berg demonstrates how she embodies a hopeful stance throughout the duration of therapy. Results show how Berg builds hope within and across her progression of the solution-focused brief therapy solution-building stages, utilizing SFBT techniques and processes, which all align with the foundational SFBT tenets.</p>

In order to break the cycle of poverty for disadvantaged children through early intervention, a counseling component is needed. As perceived by parents and teachers, counseling services would reduce the long-range damaging effects caused by social problems such as crime, violence, and drugs. This study attempted to determine the counseling needs of three- to five-year-old educationally disadvantaged children. The research method was descriptive and used a questionnaire. The survey questionnaire was administered to a sample of 22 parents and 22 teachers at a Head Start facility. Survey respondents were 44 African-American subjects: 1 male and 43 female teachers in Atlanta, Georgia. In conclusion, a counseling model was proposed to implement subsequent results of this study.

<p> Although one-third of partners in couple therapy have experienced childhood abuse, our field has developed few specific interventions that address the lingering effects of child abuse on current couple dynamics. A common impact on adult survivors is the struggle to trust their intimate partner. Furthermore, asymmetrical gendered power processes often erode trust. Given the propensity for adult-survivor couples to experience a distrusting emotional culture, this dissertation studied the effect of gendered power dynamics on trust in partner interactions, as well as identified clinical processes of Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy (SERT) that helped adult-survivor couples change power disparities to a mutually supportive and trusting emotional culture. </p><p> This dissertation includes two publishable papers. The first article articulates relational trust theory, which integrates feminist, social constructionist views with relational ethics. This theoretical conceptualization describes how the intermingling of gendered power interactions and adult-survivor power responses negatively impact emotional connection. The second article presents the results of a longitudinal grounded theory study of video and transcripts of 40 SERT sessions with four heterosexual adult-survivor couples. The findings from the research were applied to an additional four couples to refine the final grounded theory on how to work with the intersection of trust, gender, and power issues of adult-survivor couples. Three key themes on gendered power processes emerged: 1) gendered fear of being vulnerable, 2) unique gendered power approaches, and 3) distrustful reactions. The analysis identifies five key clinical processes to enhance trust: 1) recognize gendered power&rsquo;s effects on relational safety, 2) comprehend the socio-emotional experience of partners, 3) accentuate relational needs, 4) initiate partners sharing power, and 5) identify trustworthiness of partners. The study also delineates components of relational vulnerability that augment trust. </p><p> The final dissertation chapter compares the findings from the grounded theory analysis to current CFT models with adult-survivor couples and discusses clinical implications for addressing the complex interplay of gender, power, and trust in partner interactions. A significant contribution of this dissertation is a better understanding of the link of trust with gender and power dynamics in adult-survivor intimate relationships and how to sensitively address relational processes interfering with trust.</p>