Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Philosophy. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-215). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR29328

Thesis (Psy.D.)--Alliant International University, San Francisco Bay, 2005. / Adviser: Edward F. Bourg. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-68).

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Psychology, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Psychology, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D Phil (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

The aim of this research is to reveal the reality negotiation process for finding hope in people who have Depression. In the traditional, modern and medical models of depression, and biological, psychological, social or even contextual perspectives, it is considered that people who are affected by depression are stigmatized in a sick role with different kinds of dysfunctions or deficiencies. They are not considered to have much hope. Their reality is singular and absolute which prevent the use of personal agency to make choices, take action and narrate preferences and experiences to address their problems. In the school of positive psychology, there is a theory that focuses on pathways to hope which aim at positivity as people have the ability for reality negotiation. The postmodern and humanistic views have allowed people to start to see that even though one may be affected by mental illnesses, one will still have his/her expert knowledge, unique experiences, and strategies through narratives of hope. This research is collaborative narrative research. Twelve individuals, males and females of different ages and backgrounds, have been invited to take part in semi-structured in-depth narrative interviews. They have also been invited to provide feedback and reflections during the interview process. They are given the opportunity to comment on their own verbatim and review the script at a second interview for further storytelling and reflection. When these individuals are given the space and time to narrate their accounts of negotiating depression, the hope that is previously hidden will then emerge. Throughout the conversation, they reconstruct their preferred self by revisiting the negotiation process. They have the agency to perform their preferred life and self-strategies and over techniques to manage life problems and compete with the power of dominant discourses within the mainstream context. It is shown that they have to lead their life with hopeful stories that are applicable to their future life circumstances. A theory is consequently formulated based on the findings of the process of reality negotiation in finding hope. Recommendations are provided in light of the current situation of mental health services in the Hong Kong Chinese cultural context, which include recommendations on the allocation of resources and human resources that are oriented towards the expertise of the persons who are facing depression. It is based on their knowledge and experience found by the everyday stories of the persons through collaboration with them.

This qualitative study draws on intersectionality, antiracism, and anticolonialism to unpack the long history of colonial violence in the mental health and social service fields, such as counselling, victim services, social work, and child and youth care. In addition, this thesis explores and interrogates the use of narrative therapy by white and Indigenous sexualized violence practitioners who work specifically with Indigenous girls and women. Narrative therapy is a non-individualistic and non-pathologizing approach that has shown potential with Indigenous girls and women. However, while it holds promise, how sexualized violence practitioners interact with narrative therapy and critical frameworks is less known. In this study, experienced practitioners were asked how they draw on narrative therapy and critical frameworks, how they grapple with narrative therapy’s complicity in colonial violence, and how they resist, contest, and reproduce colonial violence in their own practice. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) narrative therapy as useful but not enough; (2) deconstructing and unsettling narrative therapy; and (3) smuggling practices and double practice. Discussion of these themes demonstrates and explores the complex and multifaceted issues practitioners are engaging with in their practice and suggests great promise for a future narrative therapy that involves critical frameworks and attends to body, ethics, accountability, and ongoing colonial violence. / Graduate

The aim with this research was to determine how cancer patients (the inner group) and non-cancer patients (the listening group) experience the listening group technique. A qualitative research design was utilised. The reasons for undertaking this research were the following: Experience has indicated that the listening group technique may be an effective method to help individuals discover alternative life stories besides the dominant stories that direct their lives. Some authors have expressed the need for therapists to do research on the listening group technique to ascertain its effectiveness as a therapeutic approach. The reason for focusing specifically on cancer patients is the high incidence of cancer and the accompanying medical and psychological effects it has for the individual. Psychological interventions appear to have positive results for cancer patients. The project was announced to cancer patients and their supporters, as well as in the postgraduate Psychology classes. Six cancer patients, five supporters and ten students participated on a voluntarily basis - twelve as members of the inner group (cancer patients and supporters) and nine as members of the listening group. Eight members of the inner group were female and four were male. Their ages varied from twenty - two to sixty - two. The listening group consisted of six female and three male students, of whom seven were honours students and two were masters students. Their ages varied from twenty - one to twenty - two. The study leader and the researcher acted as facilitators during the sessions. The process covered five evenings. After the introductory session, the first two sessions were held in the first week, while the last two sessions took place during the subsequent two weeks. Each session lasted approximately two hours. The way the participants experienced the technique was determined by means of semi-structured interviews. The following five themes came to the fore on analysing the data: other perspectives that developed and growth that took place during sessions, it was a learning experience, the participants' experience of the process, the participants' experience of the procedures and application of the technique, and suggestions that the participants made. The results indicated that the listening group technique can be applied to obtain beneficial outcomes for the participants. It can, inter aha, help them to develop new perspectives about their personal dilemmas and stimulate personal growth. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Doris W. Carroll / According to SAMHSA statistics, about 22 million people in the US meet the criteria for a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) being the most prevalent form of SUD. Of those with SUDs, only 10% or two million receive formal treatment. It is estimated that 64% of those completing treatment for SUDs relapse within the first year of sobriety. However, for individuals who manage to make it five years without relapsing, the risk of relapse reduces to 14%, suggesting that the needs of individuals in short-term recovery differ from those in long-term recovery. It has also been found that family involvement in the treatment and recovery process is beneficial to individuals in recovery. However, SUDs contribute to elevated levels of stress and dissatisfaction in couples and families, which puts them at high risk for divorce or dissolution prior to individuals seeking treatment. For families who remain intact until the individual completes treatment, the transition to a recovery lifestyle that supports the individual’s recovery presents a different set of challenges. Additionally, lingering frustrations and resentments from the period of active addiction may also serve to destabilize the couple or family, contributing to the high levels of divorce among those recovering from SUDs. In short, few couples are able to sustain their partnerships through active addiction, and the transition to recovery. While these couples are in the minority, their successful experiences can provide valuable insight into the recovery process. The present study examines the successful transition from active addiction to long-term recovery for one such couple. In particular, the study investigates the shifting narratives related to family roles, couple-hood, communication, alcohol, alcoholism, and recovery. The data is presented in the form of an ethnodramatic script. Ethnodrama is used to engage audiences both on emotional as well as informational levels. While ethnodrama may not provide specific answers, it is intended to provoke awareness, insight, and discussion by allowing audiences to vicariously experience the represented lives of the participants. Following the ethnodrama, an analysis of the script is presented, incorporating narrative theoretical frameworks so that the ways in which narratives function to facilitate (or frustrate) change within the individuals as well as the dynamics of the couple relationship can be expanded. The result of this analysis is the production of a Narrative Change Model, which can be useful in understanding the ways that narratives operate within the transition from active addiction to long-term sobriety and may have broader implications in explaining the narrative mechanisms behind other, more subtle change processes.