<p> Although media attention is increasing describing the effects military commander&rsquo;s toxic leadership has on the organization and subordinate military members, few studies focus on an Army commander toxic leadership (ACTL) as experienced by an Army officer&rsquo;s wife (AOW) whose spouse is subordinate to the ACTL. Researchers have focused on the unique stressors experienced by military members and their families in an attempt to gain insight and understanding into the unique culture from a stress theory perspective. Studies report the active duty member&rsquo;s is challenged with negative interpersonal relationship problems, reduced coping skills, limited resources, and feelings of hopelessness resulting from the exposure to a commander&rsquo;s toxic leadership. The stress theory is rooted in positive psychology focusing on individual perceptions and strengths to overcome stressors from a culturally competent lens. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of 10 Army officer&rsquo;s wives on their journey through an Army commander&rsquo;s toxic leadership. The participants were recruited nationwide from the social media network, Facebook. Participants were interviewed using a modified, semi-structured interview guide to insure responses were related to the central research question. The results of the study confirmed the presence of non-normative stressors, coping skills, resources, and crises framed from a stress theory perspective. Themes were related to ACTL stressor description, ACTL hardships, stressor meeting resources, and outcome gains and costs. The study concluded that the experience of an ACTL is an institutional cancer with the high-propensity to metastasize, leaving a path of destruction, poison, and scars in its&rsquo; path.</p>

<p> This study was designed to investigate the difficulties and challenges facing counseling practitioners that result in secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction and burnout. Secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction and burnout in Licensed Professional Counselors may have a relationship to their quality of life ratings. The risks of working directly with traumatized individuals on a regular basis are well documented. These three variables (Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion Satisfaction and Burnout) are prominent in the human services field with counselors being in the top five affected (in helping professions). A total of 77 participants completed a demographic questionnaire and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). This quantitative research design is classified as descriptive research/correlational study (non-experimental) between variables. A multiple regression analysis was utilized to collect the data. The findings were not as expected by the researcher. It appeared that counselors become satisfied from working with traumatized victims. Recommendations and future research directions are explained.</p>

<p> Money is one of the strongest driving forces in society today. Its power over the human experience is widespread, yet many people are blind to their relationship with money and the psychological effects it has on them. Money has become a taboo topic in present-day society; even in psychotherapy it is swept under the rug. Employing heuristic methodology, this thesis uses a depth psychological approach to explore how awareness of one&rsquo;s relationship with money can facilitate the healing of wounds caused by the misuse of money. The author uses her personal experiences with the money complex, along with existing research, to better understand this phenomenon. The findings show that in raising awareness around one&rsquo;s own money complex, one finds that money may be used as an instrument of the soul rather than just a mere instrument of functioning, or surviving, in today&rsquo;s modern society. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of group supervision on counseling self-efficacy of master's-level counseling internship students. Larson's (1998a) Social Cognitive Model of Counselor Training (SCMCT) was used as the theoretical framework for the study. SCMCT addresses how counseling knowledge is transitioned to counseling action. The study was a quantitative, causal-comparative research design. The participants were 135 master's-level counseling internship students from a CACREP-accredited, private college in the southeast United States. Data was collected through the administration of online surveys: Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE; Larson et al., 1992), Group Supervision Impact Scale (GSIS; Getzelman, 2003), Supervisory Styles Inventory (SSI; Friedlander &amp; Ward, 1984), and a demographics survey. Group supervisor impact (r = .227, p = .008), peer supervisee impact (r = .240, p = .004), and group supervision environment impact (r = .358, p &lt; .001) were significantly correlated with counseling efficacy. Group supervision environment impact was the best predictor variable of counseling self-efficacy, b = .773, t(127) = 3.210, p = .002. There was no significant difference in counseling self-efficacy between participants with master's-level group supervisors and participants with doctorate-level group supervisors, t(133) = .586, p = .559. There was no significant difference in counseling self-efficacy between participants who had a group supervisor licensed in professional counseling and participants who had a group supervisor licensed in a different field, t(133) = .125, p = .901.</p>

<p> The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between stress and executive function (EF) in adolescence and to determine the extent to which the adolescent-caregiver attachment moderated the effects of stress on EF. EF are a set of meta-cognitive processes, including planning, that require coordinated neural activation in the prefrontal cortex and a number of other brain regions. Deficits in EF are associated with many mental health disorders. Large-scale, federally funded efforts are ongoing to understand more about EF and the brain. </p><p> Current adolescent brain research calls for further investigation of how regions coordinate in task-specific activities (Spear, 2010). The stress, or hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), and attachment systems share underlying neural substrates that overlap with regions activated to perform EF. Adolescence is a sensitive period for changes in EF skills (Blakemore &amp; Choudhury, 2006), the HPA axis (Romeo, 2011), and attachment (Allen, 2008). Therefore, this research was aimed at exploring how stress and attachment predict performance on an EF task in adolescence. Specifically, the researcher examined the extent to which attachment styles moderated the relationship between cortisol, a measure of HPA axis functioning, and performance on the Tower of London (TOL), a test of planning skills. The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) data were used to examine this overarching research question in a social neuroscience model. </p><p> While the TOL is one of the most frequently used measures of EF, its scoring methods vary across studies (Etnier &amp; Change, 2009). Study 1 consisted of an exploratory factor analysis with data from 932 youth, and results supported a single factor model that best represented planning skills, which was consistent with the hypothesized structure based on an exploratory study with a small sample of college students (Berg, Byrd, McNamara, &amp; Case, 2010). The factor score was then used as the criterion variable in Study 2, which included three moderated regression models that explored secure, preoccupied, and dismissing attachment styles. Though results suggested that cortisol and attachment were not predictive of planning in this sample, potential explanations for the lack of findings are proposed and recommendations for future research are included.</p>

<p> This thesis explores alienation from one&rsquo;s cultural and ethnic legacy and its ramifications for Chicanos, other ethnic groups, and biracial individuals. From a depth psychological perspective, the impact of loss of language and culture for individuals in these populations is investigated in relation to the development of psyche and the individuation process. Understanding of the unhealed wounds of loss of land, both physically and spiritually, has affected the Chicano psyche in relation to itself and the world. Seven themes are indentified and discussed regarding the cultural unconscious in order to provide for therapists a greater understanding of the psyches and cultural background of Chicanos and other ethnic groups. This information can assist therapists to be more culturally competent when working with these populations. The definitive purpose of the study is to learn how depth psychology can better serve this community and bring insight to what the soul is calling for. </p>

<p> Latinos, the largest minority group in the United States, have the lowest level of college degree attainment relative to the total population. Education is often an indicator for future prospects in society. The present study examined how different parenting styles among Latino families affect individual's development in terms of self-efficacy and academic achievement as an adult. The study included 199 participants between the ages of 25-79. The results indicated a significant negative relationship between permissive parenting and the participants' level of education. The results also indicated a positive correlation between both parents' level of education and the participants' level of education. Additionally, the study found that later generation Latinos reported higher levels of education than first generation. The implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.</p>

<p> The loss of a loved one is a challenging event in the lives of everyone. Each individual must deal with grief and grief recovery. The Western culture has difficulty in dealing with loss and grief. In addition, churches are inadequate in helping their members who are in grief: helping them recover, find meaning, and have an enduring connection with their loved one as they embark on a new life. </p><p> In order to determine if churches can be equipped to provide support during the grief recovery process, this research project focused on training members of Calvary Chapel of Syracuse in the process of grief and grief recovery. The seminar was based on two things. First, a comprehensive review of the Bible was completed to reveal what it says about death, grief, and comfort. Then, a review of the literature dealing with grief and grief recovery was completed that provided insight into the common experience of those in grief, the process of grief recovery, and how individuals find meaning and embark on a new life without their loved one. </p><p> Using quantitative research methods, this project examined the participants of a grief and grief recovery seminar. The participants completed surveys that were assessed using recognized statistical procedures to determine if a seminar could adequately prepare them to work with individuals in grief. </p><p> The results of this research project provide a way to assess the use of a seminar for equipping church members to work with individuals in grief and recommendations on how this process can be enhanced.</p>

<p>This thesis uses a heuristic research methodology to investigate the patterns of cognition and emotion that are present when one practices self-discipline. A sample of several studies on the subject are presented, compared, and analyzed via a personal experience. The theories presented include ego depletion theory, self-determination theory, organismic integration theory, cognitive evaluation theory, self-control failure, goal setting, and goal visualization. The analysis herein suggests the clinical and counseling applications of incorporating self-discipline techniques into psychotherapy. </p>

<p>Combat Veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represent a vulnerable population that requires effective psychotherapeutic interventions. However, not all established treatments are universally effective for the estimated 20% of Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. A need for innovative approaches to manage symptoms of combat-related PTSD has been suggested in order to support traditional psychotherapeutic methods. Consequently, therapists have embraced complementary and alternative interventions for Veterans that include equine facilitated/assisted psychotherapy (EFP/EAP). Therapists who include EFP/EAP have agreed that interacting with horses in a therapeutic environment can have a positive impact on the health and behavior of individuals experiencing symptoms of PTSD. This descriptive phenomenological study, pursued through a common factors lens, explored the lived experiences of five licensed/credentialed mental health professionals who included EFP/EAP with Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants selected from the East and West Coasts of the United States. The research questions addressed why therapists chose to include the EFP/EAP intervention, how they conceived the EFP/EAP treatment as efficacious for Veterans, and how the common factors of the client, therapist, and collaborative relationship, in addition to specific factors, were reflected and involved in the EFP/EAP therapeutic process. Therapists' descriptions revealed seven major themes: "The horse-human relationship," "Building trust," "It engages people both mentally and physically," "From the beginning," "Nonverbal communication," "Emotional safety," and "A faster vehicle." Additionally, therapists' descriptions supported the common factors paradigm in psychotherapy. Findings indicated that therapists in this study chose EFP/EAP as a treatment option for Veterans diagnosed with PTSD because qualities of the horse evoked positive past subjective experiences in the therapists, the EFP/EAP intervention supported their primary theoretical orientations as psychotherapists, and the horse and its environment can address treatment goals relevant to behavioral and psychosocial difficulties in Veterans' lives. A recommendation for future research is for larger, international studies that explore the viewpoints of therapists who practice equine therapies in other countries in order to expand the knowledge base and address the competency and standards discussion in the EFP/EAP field. </p>