In this climate of increasing diversity in the population of patients requiring Physical Therapy (PT) services, PT educators should prepare students and future clinicians to work competently in culturally diverse environments. To be able to achieve this goal, PT educators should be culturally competent as well. The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a workshop aimed at improving cultural diversity awareness of the University of the Pacific (UOP) PT educators. The seminar content and class materials were developed by the author in close consultation with the workshop facilitator, who is an expert on cultural diversity. These materials were validated by Physical Therapists and cultural diversity experts. To determine the effectiveness of the workshop in improving cultural diversity awareness, the Cultural Diversity Awareness Questionnaire (CDAQ) was developed, validated for content, analyzed for reliability, field tested and pilot tested. Results indicated that the instrument was valid and reliable. The one-day workshop was presented to twelve academic and clinical faculty of the UOP PT Department. The one group pretest-posttest experimental design was used, with the participants completing the CDAQ before and after the workshop. The attendees also completed a course evaluation at the conclusion of the seminar. Results showed a statistically significant positive change in the pretest/posttest results. This indicated that the workshop was effective in improving cultural diversity awareness of the participants. Results of the workshop evaluation affirmed the achievement of the educational objectives and effectiveness of the facilitator. This study provided-a-solid-initial-foundation-on-which a-comprehensive cultural competence program can be developed.

Let It Run is the story of Oakley Isom, a neurotic, disturbed young woman stuck in a small town of two thousand people where she lives with her father, Waldemyre, a fly-fishing guide. Oakley works at the local newspaper as the editor of the "What's Biting?" section, something the fishermen live by. Oakley also works nights at a therapeutic boarding school for troubled youth. Entrenched in a world of self-loathing and obsessive thoughts, Oakley spends her time dreaming of a way out of Victor, Idaho. When a murder in the small town pulls Oakley into its eddy, she attempts to escape into her own compulsive thoughts, and the friendship of a striking young therapist at the boarding school. Unusual events continue to unfold, reeling Oakley in, and she must face a reality far more disturbing than a killer on the loose. Cosmic bottom line, the dissertation novel is about the issues of human identity, and if memory is fixed or dynamic, unified or multiple—and how readers deal with loss, guilt, and regret.

The purpose of this project was to study the second-person narrative tools used by one particular therapist-client pair in an on-going therapy relationship. One male therapist and one male client were each individually interviewed on five occasions. The first interview with each of them focused on their views of what it means to be a therapist, client, and in therapy. The next three individual interviews involved reviewing previously recorded therapy sessions, and asking the co-researchers (the therapist and client) to respond as if they were the other person in the therapy relationship. The final interview focused on their views of the research process and all the participants. Using an instructional account informed by social constructionist language, the metaphor of narrative, and the decentering of the possessive "I" for the more relationally-oriented "you," I organized the data of the interviews into second-person narratives that seemed to be used by the client and therapist. One of the primary narratives the client used to make sense of the therapist was that the therapist was an "augmenter of the client’s processes." The client seemed to primarily position the researcher as someone doing "research, not therapy." Some of the narratives the therapist used to position the client included "someone needing to vent emotions," "carrier of labels and stories," "employer," and "seeker of options." One of the tools the therapist used to position the researcher was as a nontraditional "Supervisor." Some narratives seemed to fit into broad categories such as "self-as-same" and "self-as-different." However, the more salient understandings that seemed to develop out of this study have been derived from the co-researchers’ perceptions of how this project became a part of the therapy relationship and, therefore, what might be said about how therapy is usually conducted. More specifically, the process of this study invited reflection on how the therapy conversation has been traditionally divided into two conversations, a therapy conversation and a supervision conversation. I propose there are some benefits in viewing these usually separated conversations as parts of one conversation. / Ph. D.

Rapport has been acknowledged as an important variable in therapeutic contexts. The current evaluation defined and assessed rapport quality between children with autism and behavioral therapists based on behavioral correlates. In addition, the author evaluated the effects of an operant discrimination training procedure to enhance rapport levels for therapists with low levels of rapport. More specifically, the current study evaluated: (a) if the discrimination training procedure would establish therapists’ social interactions as a discriminative stimulus and (b) if social interaction would function as a conditioned reinforcer for novel responses. Results suggest that the discrimination training procedure was successful in conditioning social interaction as a reinforcer for all child participants, and as a result, rapport increased.

This study investigates two facets of the relationship between mental health and religion. The first is an investigation into the effects of psychologist's and psychiatrist's religious belief on their assessments of a religious client. Previous research has argued that non-religious mental health workers display bias against their religious clients (Houts and Graham, 1986; and Jones, 1994). Other research has suggested that extrinsically religious indivi~uals and indiscriminately religious individuals tend to be more prejudiced than non-religious or intrinsically religious individuals (Donahue, 1985; and Richards and Bergin, 1997). The second facet of this study is an investigation into the differences between ministers of religion and mental health workers (psychologists and psychiatrists) in their assessment of a religious client. The DSM IV (APA, 1994) suggests that mental health workers should consider the cultural appropriateness of an individuals "symptoms" or behaviours before diagnosing them. It is argued here that psychologists and psychiatrists do not give due regard to the cultural appropriateness of their client's religious beliefs and the ministers of religion offer a gauge of what is culturally appropriate. To investigate these questions a group of mental health workers (consisting of 19 psychologists and 9 psychiatrists) and a group of Christian ministers of religion (consisting of 13 Pentecostal ministers and 17 mainstream ministers) was asked to complete a questionnaire based on a hypothetical case study. The hypothetical case study was constructed to have ambiguous religious characteristics, to allow the respondents to interpret the information according to their own biases. The questionnaire included Allport and Ross's Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) (Wulff, 1991). Data were analysed using Mann-Whittney U-tests and Kruskal Wallis H-tests. Significant differences were found between ministers of religion and mental health workers on most variables, with the greatest differences being evidenced between Pentecostal ministers of religion and psychiatrists. This suggests that mental health workers perceive religious clients as more mentally ill than ministers of religion do. However, no differences were found between mental health workers of different religious orientations according to the ROS and other measures of religiousness. This implies that mental health workers are not biased based on their own religious faith, but all mental health workers may be indiscriminately biased against religious individuals. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Employment is viewed as one of the pinnacle factors in enhancing quality of life. Despite being a right in South Africa, the employment opportunities available to individuals with Down syndrome are limited. This study aimed to explore the employment experiences of individuals with Down syndrome, their employers and their families in KwaZulu-Natal. This research provided valuable information for Speech-Language Therapists on enhancing communication in the workplace as effective communication in the workplace is crucial for employment. A qualitative approach and phenomenological design were used within the context of International Classification Framework, biopsychosocial model and critical paradigm. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results revealed that individuals with Down syndrome valued their employment for the emotional and financial support it provided and the skill development opportunities available. Gaps were evident in legislation specific to the employment of individuals with Down syndrome as well as the implementation of these limited policies. Communication is necessary in the workplace; however, it is one of the areas that is severely impacted in individuals with Down syndrome. Employers and family members’ experiences indicated variability in speech intelligibility, language and literacy skills among the participants with Down syndrome linked to cognitive ability, intervention, education received, mood swings and memory loss. Intriguing trends relating to the positive use of technological devices for social and recreational purposes were evident. Employment success can be linked to successful job selection, visual and emotional support. Speech-Language Therapists, employers, family members and the Down syndrome association were found to have crucial roles in providing this support. The role of the Speech-Language Therapist continues to evolve and is required across the lifespan for different purposes. / M.Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013

No description available.

This study explored the interaction between persons and songs in therapy, and was described according to the ideas of Social Constructionism and the Narrative Approach (Freedman & Combs, 1996; Gergen, 1985, 1994; Hoyt, 1998). The meanings around songs and the therapist-client interaction were explored. A flowing process evolved that allowed for new ideas to become part of the therapeutic conversations (Anderson & Goolishian, 1988; Hoffman, 1994). The research was qualitative as befits the above-mentioned epistemology. Therapeutic conversations evolved with a single client, in which songs and music were used to explore her life story. An unstructured interview was conducted to explore the therapeutic process underlying the incorporation of songs in therapeutic conversations. The hermeneutic method of analysis was employed to identify themes and meanings that encompassed the research participant's life story as well as the therapeutic process in which songs were utilised to facilitate therapeutic dialogues. It was found that the themes elicited in this study reflected the themes discussed in the literature. The following themes underlying the therapeutic process of songs were identified: songs created an emotional release; they elicited memories, feelings and imagery; they facilitated relaxation, coloured relationships and provided a new skill. This exploration of the themes allowed for rich descriptions of the participant's story and the therapeutic conversations, to emerge. / Clinical psychology / M.A. (Clinical psychology)

Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-234).

This study explored the interaction between persons and songs in therapy, and was described according to the ideas of Social Constructionism and the Narrative Approach (Freedman & Combs, 1996; Gergen, 1985, 1994; Hoyt, 1998). The meanings around songs and the therapist-client interaction were explored. A flowing process evolved that allowed for new ideas to become part of the therapeutic conversations (Anderson & Goolishian, 1988; Hoffman, 1994). The research was qualitative as befits the above-mentioned epistemology. Therapeutic conversations evolved with a single client, in which songs and music were used to explore her life story. An unstructured interview was conducted to explore the therapeutic process underlying the incorporation of songs in therapeutic conversations. The hermeneutic method of analysis was employed to identify themes and meanings that encompassed the research participant's life story as well as the therapeutic process in which songs were utilised to facilitate therapeutic dialogues. It was found that the themes elicited in this study reflected the themes discussed in the literature. The following themes underlying the therapeutic process of songs were identified: songs created an emotional release; they elicited memories, feelings and imagery; they facilitated relaxation, coloured relationships and provided a new skill. This exploration of the themes allowed for rich descriptions of the participant's story and the therapeutic conversations, to emerge. / Clinical psychology / M.A. (Clinical psychology)