<p>The relational dynamics between perpetrators and victims of child sexual abuse are rarely discussed. Reviewing the corpus of literature on molestation, and aggregating heuristic inquiry and clinical work, the author investigates in depth the connective, and therefore <i>erotic</i>, psychodynamics of child sexual abuse. The result is a carefully woven portrait of the diverse interpersonal and intrapsychic subtleties of these relationships, through critical psychoanalytic, feminist, sociological, Jungian, mythopoetic, and empirical lenses; and the proposition of an expansive vision beyond understanding, toward collective healing and prevention. Rather than by erecting walls, eros&rsquo; wounds must be healed through deeper connections with ourselves and our gruesome shadows, with monsters, and with the seemingly hopeless. Love&rsquo;s rope is a chain. </p>

<p> Ten women were interviewed about aspects of the sexual relationship they were in when they first experienced female ejaculation. Interview data was analyzed using phenomenology. Analysis revealed the women experienced their first female ejaculation in various types of sexual relationships all of which had some type of personal connection. Three types of personal connections defining their relationships are identified and described including "intimacy, closeness, friendship, or attraction;" "functional;" and "sexual exploration, discovery, learning, or experimentation." The women were experiencing elements that were distinct and unprecedented in the sexual relationship they were in when they first experienced female ejaculation compared to previous and subsequent sexual relationships in which they did not. The most important "primary" elements and differences the women were experiencing are in the following areas: (a) trust, (b) positive traits and behaviors in their partner, (c) sexual receptivity, (d) comfort, (e) feelings for their partner, (f) sexual stimulation, (g) undergoing a biological change or transition, or (h) the overall personal connection that defined their sexual relationship. These "primary" elements and differences in turn created many equally important "secondary" elements and differences the women were experiencing. The "primary" and "secondary" elements and differences the women were experiencing in their sexual relationship when they first ejaculated can help explain the wide range in the age of onset of female ejaculation. </p>

<p> Since scuba diving in underwater caves became popular a half century ago, more than 400 cave divers have lost their lives in the United States. Cave diving has been described as one of the world's most dangerous extreme sports. Despite these demonstrable dangers, both younger open water divers and older more sedentary divers are seeking certification as cave divers at the greatest rate to date. This study sought to further the understanding of personality and interpersonal relationship functioning by studying adult male cave divers who were either married or in a committed relationship. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the dyadic relationships of adult male cave divers, as measured by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, in relation to the five personality traits measured by the Zuckerman Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire. The secondary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dyadic adjustment and the personality trait of alexithymia, as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Two hundred sixty eight participants, all fully certified cave divers, volunteered to complete an online survey. Significant negative correlations were found between Zuckerman's neuroticism-anxiety, aggression-hostility, and dyadic adjustment. The most significant negative correlation was that between dyadic adjustment and alexithymia. There were no significant correlations between Zuckerman's' impulsive sensation seeking, sociability, and activity scales and score of dyadic adjustment. These findings may be useful in developing family therapy interventions for cave divers and their families, and possibly for other extreme sports participants as well. </p>

<p> Forgiveness as a process of resolving interpersonal transgressions is associated with greater individual and relational health. This study expands current conceptualizations of forgiveness as a relational enterprise by asking two questions: What are the relational motivations for which people forgive? In what way or ways does the experience of being in relationship change after forgiving? Semi-structured individual and dyadic interviews of five adult romantic couples were conducted to examine the research questions. An open-coding analysis of the first research question yielded 11 motivation categories: Focusing on Myself, Reconnecting with my Partner, Giving to my Partner, I Want to Acknowledge my Partner's Efforts, Insight and Understanding, Acknowledging and Accepting Responsibility, Religious and Social Aspirations, The Relationship is the Priority, Getting on the Same Page with my Partner, Focusing on Moving Forward, and Other Motivations. The analysis also yielded 9 categories of changes associated with forgiveness: Moving Toward Selflessness, Personal Growth, Hopefulness, Better Communication, Creating Space for Vulnerability and Intimacy, Developing Trust, Clearer Expectations and Beliefs Abut the Relationship, We Have More Commitment and Resilience, and Other Changes. The relative frequencies of the categories in individual and dyadic interviews were explored to better understand the context in which these aspects of forgiveness manifest. A framework for interpreting these results was created to position the motivation categories within private, obligational, or relational orientations toward forgiveness. Similarly, the categories of change were interpreted to reflect three larger themes of how participants' used forgiveness to achieve relational goals by reflecting, engaging, and investing. Implications for these findings are applied to the theory and empirical literature on forgiveness in relationships. Clinical implications for couples therapy are addressed. </p>

<p> The focus of the current study was on examining possible differences in college students' adjustment based on residency status (i.e., international Asian vs. domestic students) and illness status (i.e., having a family member with a chronic illness vs. not having a family member with a chronic illness). The study also examined the associations between overall college student adjustment and the family and illness-related factors of role conflict, uncertainty in illness, and illness-related communication avoidance for students will a chronically ill family member. The literature review drew from the fields of college student development, family studies, communication, and nursing. Data were collected from 232 students (85 international Asian and 147 domestic) from two Midwestern public universities. A MANCOVA and a hierarchical regression were performed to address four research questions and test three associated hypotheses. Results indicated that international Asian students scored lower than their domestic peers on the college student adjustment domains of social adjustment and institutional attachment. Students who had a family member with a chronic illness scored lower on the college student adjustment domain of personal-emotional adjustment than students who did not have a family member with a chronic illness. Finally, there was a negative association between role conflict and overall college adjustment regardless of residency or illness status. Recommendations are discussed for counseling psychologists working in a variety of settings across college campuses. </p>

<p> In Education, there has been an amplified interest regarding the need for distance education practices over the course of the last century (Allen &amp; Seaman, 2010, 2013, 2014). The purpose of the present study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of counselor educators in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited counseling programs in relation to distance education. A secondary purpose was to gather data about the implementation of distance education activities in these programs. Exploring this phenomenon provided an up to date picture of the lived experiences of counselor educators with distance education. </p><p> This research study employed a phenomenological design with a quantitative survey and qualitative follow-up interviews. The sample for the quantitative phase of the study consisted of 41 CACREP-accredited counseling programs that successfully completed the researcher-designed survey instrument. Maximum variation purposive sampling for the qualitative phase of the study identified four participants for follow-up interviews. Three themes emerged from participant interviews that described the lived experiences of counselor educators with distance education: external encouragement for implementation, adequate preparation and support for development and delivery, and evolving design for counseling programs and courses. </p><p> The results of the study indicated that implementation of distance education in counselor education programs was related to both extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors. Factors such as institutional encouragement, incentives, student needs, adequate support services for distance education, competitive program marketability, and university-level teaching experience, were identified as influencing distance education adoption in counselor education programs. </p><p> The results of the study provided information helpful to counselor educators and university administrators planning to implement distance education in counselor education programs. In order for counselor education programs to serve a larger population and remain competitive, they may need to consider incorporating distance education activities within their curriculum. Counselor education preparation programs may need to further infuse instructional components in their curriculums that prepare graduates with the skill and knowledge necessary to implement distance education. A wide range of support services need to be available to assist faculty that want to develop and implement distance education activities. It is recommended that counselor education programs first use a hybrid model in knowledge base courses and transition to making available full distance education courses that include skilled based coursework. </p>

<p> The research involved an examination of the exorbitant growth of the prison population in this country over the past 30 years from a Jungian perspective, showing how this phenomenon can be seen as a manifestation of an American cultural shadow. It then undertook an in-depth examination of the universal symbol of the circle&mdash;particularly in terms of how its inherent characteristics have been used to bring about healing across the centuries&mdash;and explored how these attributes can be used to help bring incarcerated people back into the circle of humanity by restoring and strengthening the ties that bind them to the greater community. Finally, the study involved an in-depth examination of one particular circle-based initiative--the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP)--to examine its effects on individuals in prison and upon their return to society. </p><p> Initial work involved an extensive review of the literature from a critical hermeneutic perspective, as seen through the interpretive lens of liberation psychology. The fieldwork phase involved the researcher's participation in and observation of AVP in action, particularly in prison settings, and carrying out in-depth interviews with eight formerly incarcerated AVP facilitators. The results indicate that AVP appears to not only be meeting its goal to reduce levels of violence, but has also helped the interviewees in the difficult transition back into society. Some core elements identified included: use of the circle format, the experiential nature of the process, emphasis on building consensus, and an array of tools that give people the opportunity to make conscious, positive choices. </p><p> While there are myriad ways to approach bringing positive change to a correctional system that is flawed in so many ways, I personally believe that depth psychological approaches that understand and honor the deep-seated causes embedded in our cultural shadowland, and that utilize the healing power of the circle, will have a much better chance to seriously bring about real change than any quick fixes to the mechanisms of imprisonment.</p>

<p> Increasing numbers of women are pursuing doctoral degrees in psychology, and the stress of being a female doctoral student can create a risk for aversive consequences (e.g., ineffective clinical work, impaired competence). Psychologists lack an understanding of the extent to which women can protect themselves from undue stress in professional psychology programs by engaging in self-care. The lack of a comprehensive framework for this phenomenon calls for the need to apply and test the Health Promotion Model to the experience of women in professional psychology programs. The current investigation assessed the extent to which self-care activities would moderate the negative association between stress and quality of life in a sample of five hundred and fifty eight women from clinical, counseling, and school psychology programs throughout the U.S. Norm comparison tests indicated that women in the sample reported significantly more stress, significantly less self-care, a significantly higher self-reported physical quality of life, and a significantly lower self-reported psychological, environmental, and social quality of life in comparison to previous samples. Multivariate multiple regression analyses did not support the moderation hypothesis, in that the interaction between self-care and stress did not contribute significantly to quality of life. On the other hand, self-reported stress was significantly negatively associated with quality of life and there was a significant (though relatively small) main effect of stress on quality of life. These results suggest that stress may supersede the self-care efforts in maintaining or improving an individual's quality of life. Implications for theory, practice, and research are discussed in addition to strengths and limitations of the study.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of psychosocial factors and psychological flexibility on rehabilitation protocol adherence in a sample of injured collegiate athletes. Self-report measures were given to injured athletes prior to the outset of a physical rehabilitation protocol, and a measure of rehabilitation adherence for each athlete was completed by the Chief Athletic Trainer upon the completion of rehabilitation. Logistic regression analyses with bootstrapping were conducted to determine if broad psychosocial factors such as those indicated within the BBHI &ndash; 2, and level of psychological flexibility as measured by the AAQ &ndash; 2 would significantly predict engagement and adherence to a rehabilitation protocol. The AAQ &ndash; 2 was found to significantly contribute to the overall logistic regression model. This measure would give medical providers a way to quickly and quantitatively assess for the presence of potentially problematic behavioral responding that has been demonstrated to negatively impact the course of rehabilitation.</p>

<p> Consistent with the contemporary positive psychology movement, dispositional gratitude has gained considerable empirical evidence as a valuable emotion in increasing an individual's subjective well-being; however, gratitude has not yet been validated as a contributing factor to sobriety in individuals in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. In the current study, participants were self-selected outpatients and staff members in recovery at a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center. The researcher assessed respondents' psychological symptoms, coping skills, dispositional gratitude, experience of relapse or abstinence, and demographic influences. Results indicated a significant negative correlation between gratitude and relapse, suggesting that a grateful disposition has emotional and psychological benefits for individuals in recovery from substance addiction. Additional findings revealed that the coping strategy of using alcohol or other drugs to feel better was statistically significant and made the strongest unique contribution to relapse; coping strategies including gratitude and religion/spirituality, although not statistically significant, each contributed less to the variance in relapse amongst participants. Finally, results suggest that education made the strongest unique contribution to relapse, which was statistically significant, while annual household income made less of a contribution and was not statistically significant. Research limitations, clinical implications, and future directions for the field are discussed. </p>