College counseling centers (CCCs) have experienced funding and staffing setbacks in recent years, resulting in higher caseloads, counselor burnout, and bloated waitlists. Mobile Health (mHealth) interventions may offer a cost-effective and innovative solution. The authors developed ACT Daily, a prototype mHealth app based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This study examined the feasibility and possible efficacy of ACT Daily as a brief intervention for individuals placed on CCC waitlists. A sample of 11 depressed/anxious clients waitlisted at a local CCC enrolled in the study, which followed a pre-post, open trial design. Participants received a brief online training that covered the basics of ACT and introduced the app’s functions and features. For the following 2 weeks, participants were asked to use ACT Daily every day. Results displayed high acceptability, usability, and satisfaction ratings across users. Significant improvements were observed on most ACT process measures, including overall psychological inflexibility. Findings from app usage and self-report measures supported ACT Daily’s ability to promote skill use in the moment. Analyses of in-app data indicated that ACT Daily’s skills were potentially effective in the moment and increased in strength over time. Furthermore, ACT Daily appeared to serve as a helpful pre-therapy tool due to significant reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as improvements in emotional self-awareness. Finally, the online training appeared to equip users with a sufficient comprehension of core ACT components and app training. While this pilot study suffered from a low sample size, this pattern of results encourages the application and dissemination of ACT mHealth apps as an added support for waitlisted CCC clients suffering from depression or anxiety. Moreover, it appears that ACT Daily may have enabled users to acquire, strengthen, and potentially generalize useful ACT skills. It is theorized that the app facilitated in-the-moment learning of skills that could then be applied directly to real-world contexts. Future research is advised to target larger, more diverse samples, implement a randomized controlled trial design, add objective behavioral and physiological measures, incorporate all six ACT processes, and integrate client feedback into future iterations of ACT Daily.

This formative evaluation focuses on feedback regarding a self-guided educational intervention for those at the crossroads of divorce. Entitled Should I Keep Trying to Work It Out? A Guidebook for Individuals and Couples at the Crossroads of Divorce (And Before), this Guidebook aims to help individuals minimize possible ambiguity in the decision-making process surrounding divorce. Fifty-three participants were recruited through divorce orientation education classes to provide formative feedback via brief phone surveys. Eighteen of these provided in-depth interviews for additional feedback. Though the participants in this study were largely past the crossroads of divorce, most agreed or strongly agreed that the Guidebook was helpful (61%), trustworthy (88%), helped them change some of their attitudes about divorce (67%), and helped them be more prepared for the divorce (81%). Additionally, 64% reported feeling more confident about their decision to divorce, including three noteworthy cases that cited domestic violence as their reason for divorce. Overall, this Guidebook appears to be useful to those who are contemplating divorce. Options for improving the Guidebook and introducing it earlier in the decision-making process are discussed.

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Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2008. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-148).

Orientador: Janito Vaqueiro Ferreira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T14:52:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HernandezBeleno_RubenDario_M.pdf: 6591392 bytes, checksum: fd4c66b4e3769739bb1a4283c418d2d8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Com o avanço da tecnologia refletida nos sistemas eletrônicos e de computação, os métodos do controle de trajetória no sistema de navegação se tornaram importantes nas diversas aplicações de veículos autônomos, como na geração de mapas, desvio de obstáculos e tarefas de posicionamento. Além disso, o controle pode proporcionar um ganho significativo na confiabilidade, versatilidade e precisão das tarefas robóticas, questões cruciais na maioria das aplicações reais. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal apresentar a criação de um veículo autônomo em escala. Para tanto foi desenvolvido um sistema de função sensorial que provê informações sobre a posição e orientação do carro a partir de quatro sistemas sensoriais como GPS, acelerômetro, giroscópio e a bussola (IMU), para que o veículo autônomo possa realizar a rota corretamente, de forma eficiente e segura. Neste projeto foi desenvolvido um software que integra os sistemas de controle e de sensoriamento. Além disso, foi projetado um módulo que controla a posição e orientação do veículo. O robô antes de realizar a manobra calcula a distância mínima relacionada ao próximo ponto da coordenada planejada para trocar sua referência de trajetória satisfazendo a orientação do caminho e do veículo. Para fins de avaliação, foram realizados experimentos em ambientes reais onde o carro percorre um conjunto determinado de coordenadas geográficas sem nenhuma intervenção humana, apresentando resultados do seguimento de trajetórias proposto e validando os sistemas sensoriais, além do algoritmo de controle projetado / Abstract: As electronic and computational systems technology advances, the use of path control methods in navigation systems become very important for different autonomous vehicles applications such as generating maps, avoiding obstacles and carrying out positioning tasks. In addition, controls can help increase the reliability, versatility and precision level of programmed tasks, which is exceedingly significant regarding real applications. The first aim of this work is to present the creation of an autonomous scale vehicle. We have developed a sensor system that provides information about the vehicle's position and orientation through four sensor systems such as gps, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass so that it can effectively and safely cover the right route. This project developed a software, which integrates the control and sensors systems. In addition, a control module was projected for the positioning and orientation of the vehicle. Before the robot turns to any direction, it calculates the minimal distance to the next step of the programmed coordinate, in order to change its own referenced trajectory, satisfying the orientation of the trajectory and the vehicle. For the task validation were done experiments in real life scenarios, where the vehicle follows a determined group of geo-coordinates without any human intervention, presenting results of the purposed following trajectories, validating the sensors systems and the control algorithm / Mestrado / Mecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto Mecanico / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Les enfants en situation de handicap ont souvent besoin de soutien supplémentaire pour favoriser leur intégration sociale et leur bien-être en camps de jour (Brookman, 2003; Edwards & Smith, 1989; Murphy et al., 2008; Siperstein, 2009). Pour répondre à ce besoin, les accompagnateurs d’enfants en situation de handicap doivent avoir une formation adéquate pour les préparer à leur rôle de soutien (Baldwin et al., 2010; Ko et al., 2012; Lawrence et al., 2006; Wahl-Alexander, 2017; Waller et al., 2017). Cette recherche avait pour but de comparer une formation synchrone et une formation autoguidée en ligne du point de vue des habiletés, de l’anxiété et de la détresse psychologique de 34 accompagnateurs dans le cadre d’un essai randomisé contrôlé. L’acceptabilité sociale de la formation autoguidée en ligne a aussi été comparée à celle de la formation synchrone. Les résultats indiquent qu’il n’y avait pas de différence dans les habiletés acquises, l’anxiété et la détresse psychologique des participants entre le pré-test et le post-test, peu importe leur modalité de formation. L’acceptabilité sociale était aussi la même dans les deux groupes de participants. D’autres études doivent être réalisées avec un plus grand échantillon, mais les résultats actuels suggèrent que la formation autoguidée en ligne serait au moins équivalente à la formation synchrone. Pour la pratique psychoéducative, cette conclusion soulève la possibilité de mettre en place de nouvelles modalités d’intervention. / Children with disabilities often need extra support to promote their social integration and well-being in day camps (Brookman, 2003; Edwards & Smith, 1989; Murphy et al., 2008; Siperstein, 2009). To meet this need, counsellors that support children with disabilities must have adequate training to prepare them for this role (Baldwin et al., 2010; Ko et al., 2012; Lawrence et al., 2006; Wahl-Alexander, 2017; Waller et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a synchronous training and a self-guided online training on the skills and well-being of 34 counsellors using a randomized controlled trial. The social validity of the self-guided online training was also compared to the one of the synchronous training. The results show that there were no differences in the basic skills or the psychological well-being of the participants when comparing both training modalities. Social validity scores were also similar across both groups. The results of this Master’s thesis suggest that the self-guided online training would be at least equivalent to the synchronous training. However, studies with larger sample sizes are needed to replicate these findings. Implications for the field of psychoeducation include initial support for the use of new and diversified intervention methods.

Résumé : Cette recherche aborde la problématique de la relation à la formation dans un processus d’autoformation en ligne. Elle pose la question du rapport au pouvoir dans ce type de situation d’apprentissage. La médiation pédagogique humaine et la médiatisation technologique y sont au centre des préoccupations. Il s’agit d’aborder, au travers de la conception même des instruments d’investigation, les concepts: de contrôle, d’autodirection, d’autonomie, d’efficacité, de compétence, d’autodétermination en relation avec la notion de motif d’engagement. Les dispositions et les prédispositions liées à l'autoformation sont également observées. On se propose de comprendre les orientations motivationnelles et les motifs qui éclairent l’engagement au regard de la perception de soi dans un contexte d’autoformation. Nos réflexions portent également sur le concept d'alterdidaxie par opposition aux démarches autodidactes dans un contexte d'autoformation./ Summary: This research approaches the problems in relation to training in the process of e-learning. It raises the question of the self-directed learning’s power in this type of training situation. The human teaching mediation and the technological mediatization are both in the center of the concerns. This research is an approach, through the design even of instruments of investigation, to the concepts : control, autodirection, autonomy, effectiveness, competence, self-determination in relation with the engagement. Competences and readiness scales related to the adults’ self-training are also observed. One proposes to observe motivational directions and the engagement’s reasons in relation with the perception of oneself as self-directed learners in a context of self-training. Our reflections also relate to the concept of Alterdidacticism in opposition to the self-educated steps, to the Autodidacticism in a context of adults’ self-training.

This study evaluates the efficacy of a self-guided, low-intensity curriculum, Marriage Moments, based on Fowers' (2000) virtues model of marital quality that emphasizes friendship, generosity, justice and loyalty. The Marriage Moments program consists of a guidebook and a video that were designed to strengthen marriages during the transition to parenthood and is used in the context of a home visitation program for first-time parents. Participants in the study included 119 married couples who had recently given birth to their first child. They were assigned to either a treatment, comparison or control group. The treatment group received the Marriage Moments curriculum as well as the Welcome Baby home visitation curriculum, the comparison group only received the Welcome Baby curriculum and the control group received neither program. Data were gathered through a battery of self- and spouse-report measures given at 3-months, 4-months, and 9-months postpartum. Relationship outcome measures included in this study were the Marital Virtues Profile, Revised-Dyadic Adjustment Scale, RELATE Satisfaction subscale, Transition Adjustment Scale, Father Involvement Scale, Household Labor Scale, and Maternal Depression Scale. Despite positive evaluations of the program from participants, analyses revealed a lack of significant, positive effects for members of the treatment group. Further research is needed before reliable conclusions can be drawn about the value of a marital virtues model as a guide for low intensity intervention.