<p> Loss of a child is the most complex death a person can experience. This event is multifaceted, containing intricate layers of mourning woven throughout the bereaved parent&rsquo;s lifetime. Despite considerable attention emphasizing grief reactions of the bereaved, relatively few studies have recognized the unique mourning of bereaved parents, including dreams related to their child. This hermeneutic phenomenological study investigated the lived experience of six bereaved parents who have encountered significant dreams of their child. The study utilized a depth psychological lens based on Jung&rsquo;s concept of the numinous&mdash;perceived as the mystery, the inexpressible, and that which pertains to the Divine. Data analysis yielded four supraordinate themes: Deepened Relationship with Self, Extended Relationship with Others, Intensified Relationship with It, and Heightened Relationship with God/Higher Power. This research sought to depathologize bereaved parents&rsquo; mourning and to cultivate awareness of the effects of dream encounters in order to foster hope and healing for the bereft parent. Results revealed that numinous dreams hold infinite potential, create a sense of meaning, and guide the bereaved parent toward psychological and spiritual transformation.</p>

<p> This applied theoretical paper explores the underlying capacity for caregivers to raise emotionally intelligent, well-adjusted children who grow up able to respond effectively to the demands of a complex world. A guiding supposition of the research is that diminished access to institutional privilege, especially when unrecognized and unprocessed by caregivers, is likely a risk factor connected to a variety of deleterious outcomes associated with the social determinants of health as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This connection resulted from asking the question, &ldquo;How does the underlying capacity for caregivers to understand and manage diverse and complex dimensions of their personal identity, especially in terms of how they relate to institutional power and privilege, serve as a protective factor in meeting the developmental needs of their children for a safe, stable, and nourishing emotional environment?&rdquo; To answer this question, two well-respected theoretical orientations were identified that each spoke to half of the question, but when brought together, could much more elegantly address many more aspects of the question in an integrated and holistic fashion. Specifically, John Bowlby&rsquo;s Attachment Theory provided important context as to what developmental needs children have for a safe, stable, and nourishing emotional environment. On the other hand, Jean Baker Miller&rsquo;s Relational-Cultural Theory was adept at offering a nuanced perspective on understanding diverse and complex dimensions of personal identity, especially as those dimensions interfaced with institutional privilege. Bringing these two perspectives together and synthesizing them into a new approach, an approach named Attachment-Informed Relational-Cultural Therapy, was the culmination of the research. One important outcome of the research was how it framed secure attachment as an unearned privilege (i.e. attachment privilege) that is affected by and simultaneously affects multiple variables in the caregiver and child dyad. These variables can themselves then become either protective factors supporting further secure attachment or risk factors threatening to damage or destroy it. Through the process of linking childhood attachment themes to the theme of access to institutional privilege it is hoped a greater capacity may be achieved for supporting caregivers in understanding and managing diverse and complex dimensions of their personal identity.</p>

<p> The purpose of this longitudinal qualitative study was to investigate youth experiences of trust and mentor experiences supporting youth trust in longer-term formal youth mentoring relationships. Trust was defined as youth relying on and confiding in their mentors based on experiences of mentor reliability, honesty, and emotional sensitivity and protection from emotional harm. Thematic analysis was conducted on interview data from a longitudinal dataset, involving analysis of narratives from interviews (n=147) with youth, mentors, and parents for mentoring matches that lasted at least two years. Overall, participants in this study identified multiple ways trust was experienced by youth and supported by mentors. Additionally, various experiences seemed more or less critical depending on the timepoint in the relationship. Mutuality in confiding--involving mentor intentionality around making such confiding developmentally appropriate, appropriate to the nature of the mentoring relationship, and done in the service of the mentee and not the mentor--was a central way youth experienced trust and mentors supported youth trust. Youth demonstrated considerable strengths in wanting to rely on and confide in their mentors, in valuing such experiences for the emotional support and meaningful well-being they conferred, and in being self-protective around engaging in these experiences depending on various aspects of mentor attunement, time, and level of trust developed in the relationship. Youth experiences of trust became, over time, more multifaceted, and as such, some events that may have seemed negative or that perhaps carried greater potential for rupture in the beginning of the relationship seemed understood and experienced by youth as weighing less heavily as time went on and trust was known in many ways. While these experiences seemed to play out somewhat uniquely in each match, the themes found in this study captured common elements shared across these longer-term matches. Sociopolitical context and social ecology were found to be important for the development of youth trust. Two main contextual themes highlighted in this study, talking about race and racism, and family involvement, were especially important for supporting meaningful and beneficial experiences of youth trust in this context and setting. Implications for research and practice are discussed.</p><p>

<p> Previous research has shown that individuals with disordered eating patterns who come from a family that is high in Expressed Emotion tend to have more disordered eating behaviors and over a longer period of time. There is less research on how a person&rsquo;s perception of their family&rsquo;s expressed emotion, specifically the criticism directed at them by a parental figure, affects their disordered eating patterns. The purpose of this research was to examine whether there is a relationship between perceived criticism and disordered eating patterns, as well as whether this relationship is influenced by self-criticism. One hundred and five undergraduate college students participated in an online survey that measured perceived criticism, their self-criticism, and their disordered eating behaviors and thoughts. The results suggest that levels of perceived criticism and disordered eating behaviors and thoughts were not related to each other. However, an individual&rsquo;s perception of parental self-criticism was related to their level of self-criticism. Their level of self-criticism in turn was related to their disordered eating behaviors and thoughts, demonstrating an indirect relationship between perceived criticism and disordered eating patterns. These findings offer some potential areas of consideration for clinicians treating clients with disordered eating behaviors. </p>

<p> The dark triad created by Paulhus and Williams (2002) is relatively new to research and requires a more thorough investigation. One area of expansion is considering the addition of everyday sadism to the dark triad thus making the dark tetrad. Investigating the relationship between the dark tetrad and the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) could greatly add to the existing understanding as well. Lastly, there is a need for further clarification of the relationship between the dark tetrad and sexual tactics. The current study investigated each of these areas. From this examination, it was found that sadism could be validly added to the dark triad. Furthermore, the PID-5 antagonism domain and facets correlated moderately to strongly with the dark tetrad traits. Lastly, most of the dark tetrad traits were found to have a statistically significant relationship with sexual coercion and psychopathy alone had a significant relationship with sexual coaxing. Overall, the current study adds promising information to existing research by defining the dark tetrad using maladaptive traits and examining their relations with sexually deviant behaviors.</p>

<p> Research on microaggressions has consistently lacked focus on microaggressions experienced by persons with mental illness. What little research has been conducted has examined microaggressions as reported by the victim. The current study aimed to explore mental illness microaggressions by examining the view of the committer (i.e., the person enacting the microaggression), the role specific prejudicial beliefs (i.e., <i>authoritarianism, social restrictiveness, benevolence</i>) play in microaggressive behavior, and whether level of intimacy of interpersonal contact is related to reduced mental illness microaggressions. Participants for this study were recruited using Amazon&rsquo;s Mechanical Turk; they completed a series of questionnaires and were compensated for their work. Results indicated there is a positive relationship between the likelihood of mental illness microaggression perpetration and the prejudicial beliefs <i>authoritarianism</i> and <i> social restrictiveness</i> while there is an inverse relationship between mental illness microaggression enactment and the prejudicial belief <i> benevolence.</i> This study determined that social restrictiveness accounts for the most variance when predicting potential perpetration of mental illness microaggressions. Additionally, results of this study determined there is a negative relationship between mental illness microaggression enactment and level of intimacy of interpersonal contact with mentally ill individuals, suggesting that interpersonal contact may be an effective strategy for reducing mental illness microaggressions.</p>

<p> This hermeneutic and alchemical hermeneutic dissertation reviews Jungian literature related to body-based methods of practicing depth psychotherapy to address the problem of extremely limited body-based Jungian psychotherapeutic modalities. It goes on to offer explanations of the various psychological aspects of four of the five Elements within Chinese medicine. It then offers four sequences of Five Element Archetypal Qigong (FEAQ) related to the four Elements previously addressed: Wood, Fire, Metal and Water. It concludes with a discussion of findings and recommendations for future research and practice. Essentially, this dissertation uses the psychological concepts and insights contained in Chinese medicine to show how they can be applied to Jungian psychotherapy through the moving meditation of FEAQ. Body-based psychotherapies constitute a minuscule fraction of the literature and practice modalities within Jungian psychotherapy. This dissertation begins the process of increasing the validity and prevalence of body-based Jungian psychotherapy. It also implies the need for further research on the applicability of Chinese medical concepts to contemporary Western body oriented psychotherapies. </p>

<p> This study examined multiple dimensions of well-being among adults with identified religious or spiritual affiliations utilizing the Multidimensional Well-Being Assessment (MWA). This study focused on transcendent well-being and its dimensions of religiosity/spirituality and meaning/purpose/flow. A non-random sample of 492 participants with identified religious or spiritual affiliations completed multiple measures of well-being as part of a larger psychometric investigation of the MWA. This study supports the MWA as a valid and reliable measure of transcendent well-being among adults with identified religious or spiritual affiliations. This study also found that those who view religiosity or spiritualty as very important to them and value its importance to their overall well-being had higher levels of transcendent well-being than those who did not. Furthermore, results of a series of MANOVAs found statistically significant differences between groups on various demographic and background variables (e.g., religious orientation, race/ethnicity, relationship status, and education level) who rate religion or spirituality in their top determinants of overall well-being. This study&rsquo;s findings also indicated transcendent well-being is positively correlated with other dimensions of well-being. This study has implications for future research related to understanding well-being in individuals who identify as religious or spiritual.</p>

<p> The literature to date on deception in psychotherapy is lacking in several areas, particularly in the exploration of therapists&rsquo; perceptions of being deceived in session. The current study explored the perceived frequency of client deception, therapists&rsquo; deception cue reliance, the content of perceived deception, detection confidence, perceived motivation to deceive, and the effect of the lie on several areas of treatment. Participants included psychologists who were generally representative of the population of practicing psychologists in the United States. Results indicated therapists significantly underestimate the frequency of client deception, relied on verbal information, and were generally confident in their detection ability. Results were mixed regarding the therapists&rsquo; understanding of their clients&rsquo; motivation for deception, but revealed the majority of therapists believed the lie negatively affected the therapeutic relationship. The current study&rsquo;s limitations are explored as well as suggestions for future research to further the literature on deception in psychotherapy.</p>

<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>