<p> Latinx adolescents reveal the highest risk for depression across multiple ethnic groups; therefore, it is critical to reduce the burden of mental illness among Latinx adolescents. The purpose of this psychoeducational curriculum is to enhance support for Latinx parents with adolescents who are affected by clinical depression. The curriculum was specifically designed to increase Latinx parent&rsquo;s understanding on how depression impacts adolescents, provide tools and strategies to cope with the impact of depression, and increase awareness of community resources. The goal of the curriculum is to teach parents strategies to strengthen interpersonal relationships and help their adolescents cope with depressive symptoms. The curriculum will include group discussions and homework assignments to increase participants&rsquo; likelihood of using the tools and strategies at home. A facilitator&rsquo;s guide is also included to assist with the implementation of the curriculum.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to establish an education-support group for parents/caregivers of a child diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). An extensive literature review was performed, illustrating the need for emotional support and the advocacy skills needed to navigate the special education system. The Westside Family Resource &amp; Empowerment Center, located in Culver City, California, would be the host agency. </p><p> The goals are to empower families by strengthening their advocacy skills and helping them manage the life-changing diagnosis of CAS. If funded, the CAS Parent Project would provide education and support to parents/caregivers, thereby benefiting the child with CAS as well. Five series of groups, serving a total of 50 to 60 parents/caregivers, would be implemented during the funding period. </p><p> Actual submission of the grant application was not a requirement for the completion of this thesis project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to fund a transitional housing program for disenfranchised minority youth between the ages of 16-24 who are students at Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) in Inglewood, California. This program will provide underprivileged youth with an opportunity to have a basic life need met, while developing autonomous abilities that will serve as a core foundation to help youth who are identified as marginal at best to reach self-actualization, thus breaking the generational cycle of depravity and immobilization. The transitional housing program's foundational core is centered on the Ecological Perspective, which takes into account not only the individual, but also the environment from which the individual came as a basis to better understand how to best meet the needs of those from various walks of life. The submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between general health condition, living arrangements, socioeconomic status, and depression among elderly adults. The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2011-2012 dataset was utilized in order to conduct the secondary analysis of variables for this study. This study found that there is a significant relationship between general health condition, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, and depression among the sample of elderly adult participants. The results from this study found that elderly participants who reported a poor general health condition (self-rated health) had higher levels of depression, and elderly adults who reported an excellent general health condition had lower levels of depression. A low socioeconomic status was correlated to higher levels of depression among elderly adults. This study also found that elderly minorities have higher levels of depression when compared to their counterparts. Female elderly adults were found to have higher levels of depression than males in this study. The results of this study serve to raise awareness and contribute knowledge of significant contributing factors correlated to depression among the elderly population.</p>

The purpose of this study was to design and test-out a workshop to help fathers of special needs children with their transition to fatherhood. The workshop was evaluated to ascertain how effective it was in helping the fathers to understand and feel more engaged and open to their experience of fatherhood. Also of importance was the positive impact that the workshop had on men's sense of isolation as fathers, self-esteem as fathers, and their ability to see their experience from a larger, more self-accepting and positive perspective. This is an unexplored area of study and this was a pilot project focused on developing a new resource. In the dissertation specific components of the study and workshop process, such as interviews, leadership style, as well as, specific workshop exercises (the sharing of personal stories, photography, collage making, guided imagery and infant massage) were examined to evaluate how they contributed to the over-all effectiveness of the workshop. In the dissertation a model of intervention is proposed by which fathers of young special needs children could more fully align themselves with their own creativity, and, thereby, empower themselves to take on the challenges of new fatherhood in a way that enriched and supported their personal growth. It was a model that supported men to more fully engage their experience of fatherhood and claim its richness and power. It was a model based on men supporting men, and in this regard, it provided men with models of male caring, and it supported men to experience themselves as nurturers.