There are contrasting views from Freudian, humanistic, and feminist theorists regarding whether therapist self-disclosure (TSD) affects the relationship between the therapeutic alliance (TA) and dropout of substance abuse treatment by males. However, there is a paucity of research regarding these topics yet therapists need clear empirical support for the use of TSD in enhancing the TA such that dropout can be averted. This study investigated whether or not TSD moderated the relationship between perceived TA and dropout expectancy. The research participants were 132 men attending residential substance abuse treatment. Four groups of men were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions. One of 2 statements was read to the participants that described the TA as weak or strong. After reading 1 of these statements, participants watched 1 of 2 DVDs (7 minutes each). The DVDs depicted 2 males role-playing an intake session. One DVD included TSD and the TSD was edited out of the other DVD. After watching the DVD, participants responded to the question of whether or not they would continue treatment with the depicted therapist. Results from hierarchical logistic regression indicated that weak TA was a good predictor of dropout expectancy. TSD did not significantly affect research participants' opinions regarding whether or not they would continue treatment with the depicted therapist. Therefore, results from the present study do not support views that TSD should be used or avoided. This study can contribute to positive social change by reinforcing an important process (building a strong therapeutic alliance) that contributes to treatment completion. People who complete substance abuse treatment are more likely to manage or abstain from their addictions and to become fully functioning and positively contributing members of society than those that dropout.

While clergy are at the forefront of providing mental health counseling services, many lack confidence in their ability to provide adequate care for those suffering mental health issues and many, across denominations, question the validity and reliability of mental health counseling and are reluctant to make referrals to professional counselors. There remains a gap in the current research literature regarding the views of Southern Baptist pastors. Using conflict theory as the framework for this study, the purpose of this exploratory quantitative study was to determine how 225 Southern Baptist pastors' conservative views, church size, and educational level (the independent variables) impacted their attitude towards counseling (the dependent variable). Data were collected using the Religious Attitude Scale and the Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Help Scale. A three-way ANOVA was performed to measure interaction effects among the independent variables. The results of this research indicated that a pastor's level of education and conservative views, but not church size, had an impact on attitudes about counseling. While future research could better inform the kinds of education that influence counseling referrals from pastors, this research supports the idea that more educated pastors are more likely to use diverse resources for addressing congregants' issues of mental wellness. The results of this research can influence social change because Christians needing mental health counseling often go to their pastor for help. Providing further education to pastors about the benefits of professional counseling will result in improved mental health for those congregants and their families.

Religion plays an important role in many cultures. Prior studies have demonstrated that religious involvement is associated with greater psychological well-being for college students. Prior research suggests that religiously involved college students have lower levels of depression, stress, and anxiety, as well as higher academic performance. The primary purpose of this study was to examine potential direct and indirect effects of religious involvement on depression and academic performance of graduate students in education, by testing models involving stress and depression as potential mediators. Multiple regression statistical analyses examined relationships between the level of religious involvement and the psychological status of graduate students using responses to the Belief into Action Scale (BIAC; Koenig et al., 2015; a measure of religious involvement), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) and a demographic survey. Hypothesized pathways linking religious involvement with depression and academic achievement were not supported. Based on the regression results, there was insufficient evidence to suggest religious involvement had direct or indirect effects on depression (through stress) or on academic performance (through stress and/or depression). Neither stress nor depression were found to be indirect pathways through which religious involvement might impact depression or academic achievement. While not the main focus of the study, the study did find a positive and statistically significant relationship between stress and depression. Based on independent-samples t-tests, females were found to report being more religiously involved than males, on average, whereas males reported being more depressed than females, on average. Gender was associated with religious affiliation, based on a chi-squared test of association. In contrast to nearly half (49%) of the males indicating they were unaffiliated, just 21% of the females reported not having a religious affiliation. However, no gender differences were found in regard to stress, anxiety, nor graduate academic performance (GPA). Limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are offered in light of there being insufficient evidence to support the hypothesized mediational models. Still, the findings do suggest some recommendations for practice. In particular, the study found that male graduate students, as compared with females, in the field of education experience higher levels of depression. This finding has implications for college counseling centers and faculty in schools of education who work with male graduate students. Faculty should be made aware of this difference, watch for signs of depressive symptoms, and know appropriate procedures for encouraging graduate students in education to avail themselves of resources provided on campus not only for undergraduates, but for graduate students, as well.

No description available.

<p> Clinical utility has been offered by numerous researchers as a criterion for understanding the value of diagnostic constructs, but it does not yet have a standard operational definition or recommended forms of measurement. The construct has significant overlap with diagnostic validity and it is possible that sub-domains of clinical utility may emerge that would contribute to development of a scale which could assess for improvements and degradations following nosological revisions, and also provide opportunity for cross-analysis with alternative systems of mental health diagnosis. Therefore, the present study collected survey data from psychologists about the clinical utility of the <i>DSM-5,</i> using online data collection and quantitative methods. Seven questions of clinical utility were rated using a 5 point likert scale for each of the <i>DSM-5</i>'s diagnostic categories and for the <i>DSM-5</i> as an overall nosology. Descriptive data, internal consistency and inter-item correlations were analyzed so that results could help address research questions posed about the clinical utility of the <i> DSM-5</i>'s diagnostic categories, the merits of <i>DSM-5</i> when compared to <i>DSM-IV,</i> and additional recommendations regarding optimal measurement of the clinical utility of diagnostic constructs.</p>

<p> This qualitative research study explored the career-decision making process of first-generation Vietnamese college students. The number of Vietnamese students enrolling in postsecondary education continues to be one the highest among all Asian groups. Yet, the educational attainment and graduation numbers of Vietnamese college students are much lower compared to their Asian peers. The unfamiliarity of the significance of various sociocultural values impedes practitioners to help this group of students achieve their educational goals, specifically during career decision-making process. Findings suggest culture, family, and campus support and resources contributed to first-generation Vietnamese college students&rsquo; success and career decision-making process. Implications and recommendations for policy and practice are discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to identify resource materials that can be used in whole or adapted for a series of workshops for K&ndash;6 school social workers and their colleagues (teachers, counselors, and support staff) aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skills in child abuse and trauma prevention and intervention. The potential host agency will be Dr. Albert Schweitzer Elementary, a school in Anaheim, California. The grant writer developed the project after an extensive review of the literature available on child abuse and trauma. The project seeks to provide social workers and their colleagues with the skills and knowledge needed to aid in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and trauma. The Weingart Foundation was chosen as the potential funding source for this project. The actual funding and submission of this grant proposal was not a requirement for successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the evolution of the self in the context of becoming a psychotherapist. The subjective experiences of neophyte psychotherapists in their development toward the establishment of an integrated therapist identity were examined. Furthermore, the participants&rsquo; unique experiences of transformative change during their initial clinical encounters were analyzed for the purpose of addressing how the trainee moves through the variously proposed models of therapist identity development. Interpretive phenomenological analysis provided the ability to analyze the detailed recall of 6 participants&rsquo; subjective experiences via an open-ended, semistructured interview. First encounters with new patients, learning to manage the emotional interplay with patients, gaining confidence and self-awareness, presenting authentically with patients, personal upbringing, and the experience of a shift in their identity as a psychotherapist remained the generalized areas of focus. The reported anxieties related to the need to be a savior paralleling familial roles with possible failure. The movement through this coincided with a shift in what it means to be a therapist along with an increased sense of self-awareness, giving way to the possibility of presenting authentically with patients. Personal virtues acting as insulators in the face of overwhelming anxiety were seen as contributors to moving toward an integration of personal and professional identities. Finally, the implications of the findings and the impact of the insights gained were examined in regard to optimizing training and supervision of neophyte psychotherapists in an effort to increase quality of services provided.</p>

<p> This thesis combines alchemical hermeneutic and participatory phenomenological methods to study the synchronicity of spontaneous trauma healing through reparative heart-centered attachment, group, and psyche work. It seeks to identify the archetypal, shamanic, noetic, mythopoetic, and psychodynamic power of groups to transform traumatic wounds&mdash;in light of Donald Winnicott&rsquo;s &ldquo;good enough&rdquo; and somatic gestalt concepts&mdash;into altruistic, compassionate, mindful acceptance, and resiliency. It explores ideas of healing through examining the history of trauma, the effects of trauma on attachment and relational behaviors, neuroscience, universal ideas of compassion, mindful awareness, yoga, and meditation. The author immersed herself in different groups and self-healing practices and then processed her experiences through Jungian, psychoanalytic, somatic, depth, spiritual, meditation, and traditional lenses as described by Carl G. Jung, Donald Kalsched, Bessel van der Kolk, Peter Levine, Joseph Campbell, Andrew Solomon, and Mary Main.</p>

<p> Using a phenomenological hermeneutic embodied methodology, this study investigates the phenomenon of chronic illness as it is experienced internally. Through a focusing meditation and an embodied art directive, the stage is set to explore the phenomenon. Using a semi-structured protocol, participants were interviewed two times over a four-month period, and asked to identify how their internal experiences informed the management of their illness. Participants were also asked how this body-based information converged with medical prescriptions from primary care providers. Qualitative data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Participants took part as co-researchers in the coding process and two peer debriefers were engaged in a discursive analysis tracing themes across narratives to develop codes organized under three superordinate categories with ten corresponding subordinate headings. Three primary findings were clustered under the superordinates: 1.0 My body has a place at the table now, 2.0 My body as it relates to medicine, 3.0 Looking forward, looking back: making meaning from this body&rsquo;s history. Results indicate that participants used their bodies&rsquo; signs by recognizing the language that the body communicates, then processing the impact and making decisions about how to proceed. Secondly, participants described a time when their bodies conflicted with medical advice and the reality of what they were physically experiencing was so compelling they were obliged to go with the strong physical evidence that was expressed by their bodies. A third finding from this investigation is that individuals can have highly developed ideas about the origins of their illnesses and these ideas might play a pivotal role in their healing process.</p>