<p> The purpose of this research study was to determine the effects of Fostering Resilience&trade; (FR), a new integrative relapse prevention group protocol for improving relapse risk, internalized shame, and psychological well-being in adults with substance use disorders (SUD). This study also sought to identify any relationship among relapse risk, internalized shame, and psychological well-being. It is the first study to investigate the new FR manualized program model compared to treatment as usual (TAU). The FR model was created based upon direct client experience, the supposition of the intrinsic role shame plays in SUD, and the corresponding belief in the essential value of implementing shame reduction techniques for improving treatment outcomes. Participants were 43 adults with SUD (19 FR and 24 TAU) seeking outpatient treatment. All participants received the 8-week intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment, with the FR group receiving 16 sessions of the manualized FR relapse prevention group protocol in lieu of other TAU group options. Assessments were administered pre and post-intervention. </p><p> Results indicated that the FR treatment group produced a significant reduction in relapse risk (<i>p</i> = .002, <i>ES</i> = .825), shame (<i>p</i> = .004, <i>ES</i> = .763), and psychological well-being (<i>p</i> = .008, <i>ES</i> = .679) from baseline to post-intervention, while the TAU comparison group produced a non-significant improvement in relapse risk (<i>p</i> = .209, <i> ES</i> = .264), shame (<i>p</i> = 055, <i>ES</i> = .409) and psychological well-being (<i>p</i> = .088, <i> ES</i> = .456). Correlation results indicated highly significant correlations between all the dependent variables. All correlations dropped post-intervention, although remained significant. The strongest relationship was found between shame and relapse risk at baseline: ALL (<i>n</i> = 43, <i> r</i> = .880), FR <i>n</i> = 19, <i>r</i> = .869), TAU <i>n</i> = 24, <i>r</i> = .908). This preliminary study establishes support for the new FR model as a beneficial treatment for significantly improving relapse risk, internalized shame, and psychological well-being in adults with SUD. It also provides important knowledge and insight regarding the critical nature of shame and its role relative to relapse risk and psychological well-being in those with SUD.</p><p>

<p> This thesis explores the evolution of consciousness through the lens of the relationship between masculine and feminine from the Neolithic era to the present and the impact on pregnancy and birth within the current patriarchy. Using heuristic and hermeneutic methodologies, the author"s experience through her pregnancy is explored as an example of the often dysfunctional and disempowering interplay between masculine and feminine in the modern era. The author specifies possible avenues of healing, integration, and awakening into a new state of consciousness. In an overarching traumatized collective culture that is characterized by the patriarchal system, how does the current medical model of childbirth, governed by the same rules of the patriarchal system in which it was born, distort the feminine experience? What is the impact of being pregnant and having a baby within this cultural paradigm on humanity at large as well as on individuals including mothers and babies? </p><p>

<p> Words are a human medium for relaying any and all psychic states, from mundane to profound, and as a medium of description language also is considered an archetype. In the practice of psychotherapy the practitioner and client must find common linguistic ground in order to collaborate effectively and facilitate the therapeutic process. This thesis utilizes hermeneutic, alchemical hermeneutic, and heuristic methodologies&mdash; interweaving mythology, philosophy, psychology, and literature&mdash;as a means of emphasizing the poetic nature of the soul and a multifaceted approach to what James Hillman referred to as "soul-making." The research is guided by the principal question: How does language shift the imaginative landscape and deepen experience? Hermes is present in this work as a mythological figure as well as the archetypal representation of shape-shifting, uncertainty, and the ability to move in and out of literal and nonliteral realms, emphasizing the importance of metaphor in the therapeutic encounter.</p><p>

<p> The cost of the misuse of drugs is significant. The impact is felt across multiple systems across America and is covered mostly by federal, state, and local governments. Women comprise a significant portion of the persons using illicit drugs. Treatment is an effective way of reducing substance misuse. However, research into the efficacy of treatment for women lag that of men. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that women receiving substance abuse treatment from a man had shorter stays in treatment and poorer outcomes than those who had a female counselor while in treatment. Phenomenological and relational-cultural theory (RCT) was used both as the design and conceptual lens to examine the experiences of 6 women, 18 and older, who had completed substance abuse treatment with a male as a primary counselor. Collection of data occurred through semistructured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Thematic analysis yielded five main ideas: (1) rapport-building skills, (2) genuineness, (3) empathy; (4) flexibility; and (5) acceptance. In addition to this, the women were questioned to whether they were offered a choice of a man or woman for a counselor. The result is that participants indicated that having a man as a counselor gave them an opportunity to interact with a positive role model, however, they suggested that women be offered a choice in the gender of counselor and accommodated whenever possible. The findings of this study will be made available to stakeholders of substance abuse treatment programs and in public health journals to serve as a basis for further research. The implication for social change is that the information contributes to sustaining women in treatment and improving treatment outcomes. </p><p>

Parental or caregiver death, especially in childhood, can have long lasting emotional ramifications in an individual's life. When this early loss is followed by significant life events such as pregnancy, and losses such as miscarriage, the bereaved woman experiences considerable emotional impact. The present study explores the relationship between parental or caregiver death and miscarriage on depressive symptoms and grief. Specifically, the study examines whether a history of parental or caregiver death affects depressive symptoms and grief following miscarriage such that miscarrying women with parental or caregiver death have higher levels of depressive symptoms and grief than their counterparts who have not experienced parental or caregiver death. The study further examines whether the difference in the level of depressive symptoms between miscarrying women with and without a history of parental or caregiver death is greater than the difference in the level of depressive symptoms between pregnant and non-pregnant/community women with and without a history of parental or caregiver death. Results indicate that miscarrying women who have suffered parental or caregiver death experience more depressive symptoms than miscarrying women who have not suffered parental or caregiver death; pregnant women who have suffered parental or caregiver death prior to age eighteen experience more depressive symptoms than pregnant women who have not suffered parental or caregiver death prior to age eighteen. However, the difference in the level of depressive symptoms in miscarrying women with and without as history of parental or caregiver death is not greater than the difference in the level of depressive symptoms in pregnant and non-pregnant/community women with and without a history of parental or caregiver death. No association was found between parental or caregiver death and grief in miscarrying women. Results are discussed in the context of psychodynamic, relational, and attachment-based explanatory models.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the lived experience of adult daughters whom had fathers incarcerated when they were in middle childhood as a result of a drug related offense. According to statistics, the United States criminal justice system currently houses nearly 2.3 million individuals, an increase of nearly 500 percent in the last 30 years. While African-Americans make up approximately 13 percent of the current population in the United States, they make up nearly half of the incarcerated population. Many believe that the War on Drugs has contributed to the increase in the numbers of individuals incarcerated and to the sentencing disparities which exist. In 1980, approximately 41,000 individuals were incarcerated due to a drug related offense and estimates indicate that this number is now nearly half a million. With the staggering numbers of individuals who are currently incarcerated, many have begun to examine the collateral consequence of incarceration which is the effect on family members. Research conducted relating to family members has focused on the physical, behavioral, as well as psychological effects of the incarceration on the family member. A primary area of study related to how incarceration impacts families has focused on children of incarcerated parents and statistics estimate that nearly ten million children have experienced having a parent incarcerated at some point in their lives. In addition, approximately 90 percent of incarcerated parents are fathers and Black children are eight or nine times more likely than White children to have an incarcerated parent. Minimal research exists which allows the child to share the experience in their own words and no research exists specifically examining the experience of children solely impacted by the War on Drugs. The current study was exploratory in nature and examined the experience of and effects of paternal incarceration as experienced by daughters whose fathers were incarcerated when they were in middle childhood as a result of a drug related offense. Interviews were conducted with 10 participants and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was utilized to analyze the collected data. IPA is a type of qualitative data analysis which provides in depth examination of human lived experience. During the analysis five superordinate themes were identified which included The Need for Transparency- “I just wanted to know the truth”, The Broken Family Unit- The Father’s Absence, The Stain of Incarceration – “Life was never the same”, Buffers and Barriers to Adjustment, and Becoming Independent – Fear of Relying on Others. In addition, subthemes were identified within the superordinate themes which captured the uniqueness of the participant experience of paternal incarceration. Results revealed some similarities in experience and also confirmed how different the experience of individuals can be who experience paternal incarceration. Implications for practice are also discussed.

<p> This phenomenological study examined first-generation Latina women who developed a bicultural strategy when choosing professional careers. A qualitative research methodology sought to analyze the participants&rsquo; academic and career planning journey, the challenges they encountered, the support they received from their families, and how utilizing a bicultural strategy aided them in attaining their career goals. Five Latina women were interviewed with ages ranging from 30 to 50. Several key findings were found to be congruent with research literature such as acculturation influence on ethnic identity, ethnic identity as protective factors from discrimination, and the influence of traditional cultural values in pursuing college careers. Data was analyzed through the lens of developmental and acculturation theories. The findings revealed the participants&rsquo; demonstrated bicultural competence in how they negotiated with their families for support, and how they separated from their families influence to support their own professional goals. Family support was a significant factor for the participants&rsquo; successful navigation of career goals. Minimal family support revealed participants compensating by achieving higher standards for themselves. Based on the results of this study it is recommended that academic counselors and psychotherapists recognize the difficulty of Latina women living between two worlds and make efforts to increase their sensitivity of cultural gender role pressures that influence their career decisions. </p><p>

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Counseling and Educational Instruction, School of Education, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Feb. 4, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-04, Section: B, page: 2572. Adviser: Thomas L. Sexton.

<p> Counselor supervision has evolved as a skillset unique from counseling in the last 30 years. Approaches to counselor supervision, often created with counselor developmental models in mind, are examined, and the author claims that a combination of postmodern approaches to counselor supervision (narrative, systemic, reflective, and IPR strategies), referred to as constructivist approaches, are worthy of additional consideration and assessment. However, no instrument currently exists that validates constructivist approaches to counselor supervision. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore constructivist themes and characteristics associated with constructivist supervisors and supervisees' preference for each of the constructivist supervisor characteristics. The author sent a peer-reviewed and pilot-tested Constructivist Supervisor Scale to multiple counselor supervises. A principal components analysis was used to determine how many components are representative of constructivist supervision. Three components were revealed during the exploratory process: Warm and non-directive relationship, past and present experiences, and acceptance of various styles. Results also revealed that supervisees preferred constructivist supervisor characteristics. Future supervisors can use the Constructivist Supervisor Scale to determine whether constructivist methods are being used during supervision. The Constructivist Supervisor Scale can also be used to assess supervisees' preference for constructivist supervisor characteristics. </p>