National University System Repository
Not a member yet
5119 research outputs found
Sort by
Domestic Abuse in Families: A Feminist Perspective
No full textDomestic abuse refers to a pattern of coercive control that can be used over a victim to maintain power and dominance. It does not always include physical violence. Violence can be emotional, financial, or consist of threats. The successful abuser adapts to use strategies that could be acceptable in society if isolated into one event. This capstone focuses on how to help families with children where patterns of coercive control dominate. The parents might be separated or not. Most of this type of abuse where coercive control exists is in heteronormative relationships where the man is the abuser, and the woman is the victim. This cultural "effect" has devastated the lives of millions of women and children. When we recognize how gendered odds originate from our culture, we gain an opportunity to understand our culture better, to avoid pathologizing victims, and to have a roadmap to healing. Our service providers: counselors, law enforcement, banks, and the legal system must adapt to a trauma-informed lens that will figure out how to keep the victims and their children safe from patterns of coercive control. Failing to recognize these patterns leads to escalation and often devastating outcomes. Counselors do not always help. We are taught to "remain neutral" in couples counselling and do not always screen for abuse. We engage in "change work" with victims which can be victim blaming. We also have our own cultural biases. Instead, we must screen for abuse, see individuals in a couple separately, identify abusive strategies, and examine our biases. This capstone explores the etiology and content of narcissistic strategies, why we as a culture have failed to recognize and stop these kinds of abuses, and what we can do to help
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in Adolescents
No full textThe prevalence of mental health disorders among adolescents has increased, and there is a need to explore emotional-regulation strategies for that age group. Given the amount of time that adolescents spend in school, it is important to explore ways to support their mental health in the school setting. The research question for this capstone project was, "How do mindfulness-based strategies enhance emotional regulation in adolescents?" The aim of the literature review was to gain insights into whether mindfulness strategies can assist adolescents in managing their mental health and overall well-being. Mindfulness helps with emotional dysregulation by attuning thoughts and emotions with the present moment. With the increasing phenomenon of mindfulness, it is important to incorporate mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) not only for adults, but also for adolescents. This points to the need for the literature review to explore mindfulness-based stress-reduction strategies in adolescents. The main techniques of MBSR include breathing strategies, mindful eating, and yoga. The major findings support the importance of the continuous practice of MBSR strategies to benefit from the approach. Despite the idea that MBSR was originally designed to reduce chronic pain and stress; studies have shown that MBSR also helps to reduce anxiety, depression, and fear. In conclusion, it is beneficial for future practitioners to understand whether mindfulness in self-care is useful as a strategy to support adolescents' mental health
Modalities for Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Review
No full textThis paper will review the current literature on modalities used or proposed for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Modalities have been offered for the treatment of depression, addiction, and the demoralisation of long term AIDS survivors. In comparing these modalities, I aim to highlight their similarities and differences, while also seeking any evidence to suggest the benefits of one modality over another. In reviewing the current literature, the intent is to learn best practices and then coalesce generalisable best practices for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Given the early stage of modality creation in this field and the general knowledge regarding the similar efficacy of modalities, I hypothesize that there will not be evidence to promote a particular modality. However, I do believe that there will be commonly held best practices amongst the modalities which can be gleaned. Five modalities were found for study in this review with information found from a combination of completed studies, modality manuals, and explanatory articles. The result is that there is no evidence to suggest a best modality for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. There are, however, many generally accepted and evidence-based best practices. As researchers, therapists, or clients, I hope this work informs regarding current evidence in the field, best practices, and areas for future research
What Does Suicide Intervention Look Like in 2022?
No full textThe purpose of this capstone is to examine modern suicide interventions that counsellors can use with their clients. Suicide is a topic that all counsellors should be prepared for, but due to the seriousness of suicide ending an individual's life, the topic can be worrying for new counsellors and even some experienced counsellors. The theoretical frameworks utilized in this capstone are: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), a person-centered approach, a social justice lens, and empiricism. Chapter one outlines foundational information on the topic of suicide to prepare readers for the literature review of modern counselling suicide interventions in chapter two. Chapter three concludes the capstone with examining and summarizing the findings from the literature review while discussing future directions for suicide interventions
Multilevel Barriers to Seeking Help for South Asian Immigrant Women following Intimate Partner Sexual Violence
No full textIntimate partner sexual violence is a global issue upheld by various social and political structures and leaves survivors with significant mental, physical, and emotional challenges. These challenges are both immediate and long lasting. The risk in these challenges increases when we consider marginalized populations such as South Asian immigrant women. Despite the heightened risk and high statistics of intimate sexual violence in this community, there are low numbers of these individuals seeking out help. Recognizing the seriousness of the risks at hand, such as death, injury, and long-lasting physical and mental health concerns, it is crucial to explore why South Asian immigrant women do not reach out. This review explored the multilayered barriers at play that contribute to delayed help-seeking after experiencing intimate partner sexual violence. This critical review involves an analysis of 10 key studies to outline what these barriers are. An examination of the studies revealed the existence of barriers across multiple domains which include lack of knowledge regarding sexual health, negative experiences in disclosing abuse, power imbalances within the family, simultaneous experiences of other abuse, revictimization while navigating resources, migratory issues, linguistic challenges, oppressive systems (racism, misogyny, patriarchy), and cumulative trauma through revictimization. It is recommended that clinicians working with this population utilize a trauma informed and intersectional feminist lens to appropriately support this community
