<p> Adolescence is marked by a period of stress with a portion of these individuals experiencing problems with anxiety. There are physical and psychological benefits of using animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for decreasing anxiety, however, the research on this is limited. The current study expands on the AAT literature by studying the additive effects of AAT along with the frontline treatment for anxiety, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT only and CBT + AAT treatment groups followed a structured protocol focused on psychoeducation and practicing coping skills for anxiety using groups of 2 to 4 participants in the school setting. Single subject design and nonparametric statistics were used to analyze treatment data on measures of anxiety and therapeutic alliance from ten students ages 10 to 15 across two school districts. Although the data on measures and therapeutic alliance did not approach significance, observable trends show CBT and AAT may be beneficial in decreasing anxiety symptoms for some students. The nature of self-report data and the small number of participants were limitations of the study. Overall this study used comparison groups to show that therapy dogs are not a hindrance to therapy and may be beneficial for some students.</p><p>

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The field of multicultural counseling stresses the impacts of ethnic culture and oppression on clients, counselors, and counseling situations, while writings on child sex abuse have largely neglected these issues. This dissertation provides a theoretical integration of basic concepts from multicultural counseling with issues in the prevention, understanding and treatment of child sex abuse. This dissertation also includes a study of the impact of culture and oppression in therapy for child sex abuse for members of a specific ethnic group--low-income Puerto Ricans in the United States. For the study, psychotherapists who have experience working with low-income Puerto Ricans on issues of child sex abuse, and Puerto Rican women who were sexually abused as children were interviewed about the therapy in which they have participated. The report focuses on impediments to disclosing sexual abuse for Puerto Rican children and their families. Factors related to Puerto Ricans' status as an oppressed minority in the mainland United States, including discrimination, poverty and lack of bilingual services, are identified as making it difficult for Puerto Rican children to disclose. In addition, aspects of Puerto Rican culture including the widespread use of corporal punishment, the high value placed on virginity, and taboos around discussing sexuality are identified as further hindering disclosures. Suggestions for facilitating disclosures in this population include increasing the number of well-trained bilingual people in education, medicine, and social services; increasing the quality and availability of sex education in the schools; and providing training on child sex abuse prevention and detection to members of Puerto Rican communities. The implications of considering culture and oppression in our understanding of child sex abuse are outlined for theory, research and psychotherapy.

The problem addressed by this study is the insufficient information in the professional literature which describes the personal experience of therapists as they endeavor to incorporate spirituality into their therapeutic work. Fourteen practitioners, in various counseling and psychotherapy modalities were interviewed about their work in the field, in an effort to fill that gap. In all cases subjects reported that they were working actively in their professions with an interface of spirituality and psychotherapy. Many common themes and experiences emerged and at the same time, each story was unique. The research included a literature review of both psychological and spiritual texts as well as review of the researcher's own experience of twenty years of work in the dual worlds of spirituality and psychotherapy. Data gathered was coded for the emergent categories and themes. The categories included: the participants' personal journey as it lead them to their current work and the interface in that work of spiritual and psychological perspectives, the spiritual views and beliefs of the participants, their general experience of work with people, their understanding of clients' spiritual issues, the techniques and strategies of a spiritual nature that the subjects use in their work, and the problems that they experience as a result of the interface of spirituality and psychotherapy. Case illustrations were offered by subjects to illustrate their work. Profiles of each participant, organized through these categories, and presented in their own words, offered an expression of the lived, subjective experience that each shared with the researcher. Thematic analysis of each category further refined the elements of subject experience and offered a data base for emerging implications. The implications include: the need for greater openness between the fields of spirituality and psychotherapy, the need for greater educational and clinical inclusion of spirituality as a valid topic for consideration, the need for clients to be able to actively pursue, with their helping professionals, the spiritual issues in their lives, the need for spiritual traditions to open themselves more fully to an inclusion of psychological components, the need for more literature from practitioners practicing at this interface, and the the larger need in this culture for inclusion of spirituality in all aspects of life.

The researcher examined school counselors? perceptions of the readiness level of school districts in Mississippi to implement the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) National Model. The researcher also addressed certain school and counselor characteristics that could be predictors of this level of readiness. The predictor variables included grade level of counselor?s school (elementary, middle, high school/vocational), number of years of counseling experience, years of experience as a classroom teacher, student-to-counselor ratio, age, race, and level of education (M.S., Ed.S., Ph.D.). The dependent variable was the school counselor?s perceived level of readiness of the school district based on their overall scores on the ASCA National Model District Readiness Survey. The researcher also examined the perceived readiness level of school districts in the State of Mississippi in each of the 7 ASCA National Model readiness indicators (i. e., community support, leadership, guidance curriculum, school counselors? beliefs and attitudes, school counselors? skills, district resources, and staffing/time use). Based on mean scores for the seven readiness indicators on the ASCA National Model District Readiness Survey, school counselors perceived two indicators as being ready to implement the ASCA National Model: School Counselors? Beliefs and Attitudes and School Counselors? Skills. School counselors perceived three indicators as being minimally ready: Community Support, Leadership, and Guidance Curriculum. School counselors perceived two indicators as being not ready to implement the ASCA National Model: District Resources and Staffing/Time Use. Based on school counselor perceptions, the ?overall? readiness level of Mississippi school districts to implement the ASCA National Model is a minimal level of readiness. For the dependent variable overall readiness level, student-to-counselor ratio and gender were the most influential predictor variables. Female school counselors perceived their school districts as being more ready to implement the ASCA National Model than male school counselors. Also, schools with lower student-to-counselor ratios perceived their school districts as more ready to implement the ASCA National Model than schools with higher student-to-counselor ratios.

The purpose of this study was to explore the internal and external factors influencing the career development of first generation Filipina Americans. Ten first generation Filipina Americans were interviewed using a guided in-depth interview format, genogram mapping, and demographic documentation. Five common themes emerged about the meaning of self in relation to the career development process: Self perception and the understanding of the immigration experience; Self awareness during acculturation; Self and the career path within the family system; Self within two cultures; and Self and socioeconomic factors. Results suggest that career development for Filipina Americans is multifaceted and involves many external and internal processes. Filipina Americans, individuals who often have both Asian and American influences in their vocational path, have uniquely experienced a marked distinction with their career development in the United States. Results indicate that the concept of self understanding was an integral component related to immigration, family, career planning, and class. Results also suggest that the women recognized minimal gender stereotyping in their families. Family of origin was a salient source of meaning and influence on the career development of the women. Self within two cultures, as an American and Filipina influenced the women both negatively and positively in their career development. And finally, class status was a factor which significantly influenced the women with regard to maintaining or improving their class status through their career choice. A review of the literature, limitations of the study, a comprehensive analysis and presentation of the results, a discussion of the results to the current literature and related practical and research implications are all presented. In summation, this study emphasizes the need for further research on the internal and external factors influencing the career development of Filipina Americans. Furthermore, the information shared may be useful in the professional realms of research, career counseling, psychology, child therapy, family therapy, and cultural training.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of being a Senior Peer Counselor, using both questionnaires and interviews. Thirty-six urban/suburban dwelling Senior Peer Counselors were queried about their life satisfaction before and after becoming Senior Peer Counselors. They were compared to a group of thirty-six active seniors living in a rural/suburban community. The increase in senior counselors' level of life satisfaction was statistically significant, however the difference between their final level and that of comparison group members was not statistically significant. Three directors of Senior Peer Counseling programs were interviewed about their perceptions of the benefits of being a Senior Peer Counselor. Two main themes emerged from these interviews. The directors felt that group support had a positive affect on well-being, specifically, training and supervision, and that being a trained peer counselor had a positive affect on personal development. Recommendations are proposed for the development of Senior Peer Counseling programs that would train and utilize volunteer Senior Peer Counselors to have therapeutic relationships with their senior clients, thereby benefiting both.

School counselors support students' social-emotional, academic, and career readiness (ASCA, 2019). However, who provides support for school counselors to navigate this herculean responsibility? Supervision provides opportunities for counselors to learn, consult, and practice counseling knowledge and skills to offer the most research-informed, inclusive, and culturally responsive services to appropriately support clients' needs (Bernard and Goodyear, 2019; Ratts et al., 2015; Mitchell and Butler, 2021). With the current state of society, students' mental health and social-emotional needs are paramount, and the support needed for school counselors to assist students' holistic development is critical. The author proposes #S.O.S.³ to promote the Supervision of School Counselors to Support Students. Without counseling supervision, research warns of erosion of school counselor self-efficacy. This qualitative, phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews to investigate ten school counseling supervisors' (SCS) counseling supervision experiences. This study uncovered five superordinate themes and related subthemes regarding the supervision experiences of SCS who received and delivered clinical supervision. Implications for SCS, counselor educators, school district and state educational administrators on the needs of SCS that will inform the supervision of school counselors who provide counseling services to support students' social-emotional/mental health needs are discussed. / Doctor of Philosophy / Supervision provides opportunities for counselors to learn, consult, and practice counseling knowledge and skills to offer the most research-informed, inclusive, and culturally responsive services to appropriately support clients' needs (Bernard and Goodyear, 2019; Ratts et al., 2015; Mitchell and Butler, 2021). Research has uncovered that school counselors often receive none or minimal clinical supervision compared to counselors in agencies, hospitals, and private practice (Page et al., 2001; Dollarhide and Miller, 2006; DeKruyf et al., 2013). Also, research shows school counselors prefer supervisors that have clinical mental health understanding and knowledge (Dollarhide and Miller, 2006; Roberts and Borders, 1994), and school counselors who participate in clinical supervision continue to develop skills and techniques to assist in appropriate strategies and interventions to support students and families (Bledsoe et al., 2021). However, despite the increased number of studies on school counseling supervision, few studies have explicitly focused on school counseling supervisors' (SCS) experiences. This qualitative, phenomenological study, using semi-structured interviews, investigated the clinical supervision perceptions and experiences of ten SCS who received and provided clinical supervision. This study discovered five superordinate themes and related subthemes regarding clinical supervision experiences, including professional (a) preparation, (b) identity, (c) self-efficacy, (d) challenges, and (e) quality of life. Implications for school counseling supervision are discussed.

<p> The purpose of this study was to analyze School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SW-PBS) and Behavior Intervention Support Teams (BIST) and their impact on managing student behavior in sample schools in Missouri by using methodological triangulation. Office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) and Safe School Act Violations during the 2012&ndash;2014 school years in the SW-PBS, BIST, and No Model (control group) sample schools were analyzed to determine if there was a significant difference in the numbers of ODRs and Safe School Violations. Teachers from the sample schools were given the opportunity to participate in a survey to gather their perspectives about the impact their school&rsquo;s respective behavior model had on student behavior outcomes. Teachers surveyed reported varied opinions regarding disciplinary models and the benefits these models have on student self-control and helping to reduce student discipline behaviors. While all perceived their models to have a positive impact, there were differences in overall perceptions. Teachers in SW-PBS schools responded more positively about how the SW-PBS model impacted student behaviors. The ODR data were analyzed using a paired t-test, showing no significant difference between the number of ODRs in the models studied. Safe School Act Violations occurred more frequently in schools that had no behavior models than in schools that had implemented BIST or SW-PBS. The BIST schools had the fewest reported incidents.</p>

<p> This embedded case study explored and described the delivery of career development activities by high school counselors (n=9) at predominantly Latino high schools within a Southern California school district. Using the ASCA National Standards as a guide, participants were queried about their adherence to said standards. The following themes emerged: (a) The Need for Parental Involvement in Students&rsquo; Education, (b) Counselors&rsquo; Barriers to Delivering Career Development Activities, (3) Perceptions of a Potential Career Development Course, (4) Career Exploration, (5) and Lack of Accountability for ASCA Standards. The results from the questionnaire highlighted inconsistency among the participants&rsquo; delivery of career development competencies. Limitations include a small sample size and questionnaire flaws. Implications include the need to track fidelity for ASCA National Standards, improve parental involvement, reduce non-counseling tasks, and reduce the student-to-school counselor ratio. Recommendations for future research for educators in predominantly Latino high schools are provided.</p>