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Understanding and Comparing the Female ASD Phenotype to Current ASD Diagnostic Practices
No full textAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication and social interaction. ASD symptoms present differently in different individuals and can include: repetitive behaviours, interests or activities; poor non-verbal and verbal communication; lack of eye contact; and specific facial expressions (APA, 2013). Females are less likely to receive an ASD diagnosis than males when there is no presentation of intellectual disabilities. Late diagnosis of ASD in females may cause extra suffering that could be reduced with early formal diagnosis and access to support services. Research suggests that the low prevalence of ASD in females may be a result of biased diagnostic practices due to lack of understanding of the female phenotype and biased diagnostic tools used to assess ASD in females. This paper reviews the literature on understanding the female ASD phenotype and compares it to current diagnostic practices. It also explores a brief history of ASD and psychological diagnostics, current practices when diagnosing ASD (including gold standards tools), and implications for counselling. Finally, this paper makes recommendations to improve diagnostic practices to allow for earlier identification and treatment of females with ASD
Post Incarceration Sexual Health and Behaviours for Gay Males
No full textWith incarceration being considerably more prevalent among gender and sexuality-diverse populations, these communities continue to be at the greatest risk for health-related challenges. Presently, there continues to be limited research and studies assessing the sexual health disparities produced by mass incarceration and the systematic assessment of the health consequences of incarceration for gay males upon release. This capstone project explored the effects of incarceration on sexual health and behaviours of gay males upon their release and proposed future courses of action in clinical and community settings. The main themes that emerged from the literature analysis included: STI's and substance use, institutional sexual health practices, and mental health treatment utilization relevant to the experience and interventions for gay males' sexual health after the experience of incarceration. This review highlights the importance of competent care for all LGBTQIA+ members, especially those experiencing incarceration, and the significance of accessibility and quality required by health care providers, clinicians, and communities
Exploring the Effects of Vicarious Trauma on Intern Therapists Who Provide Virtual Therapy: A Systematic Review
No full textIntroduction and Objective: With the steady increase in societies willingness to seek mental health support, intern therapists and their ability to provide quality trauma treatment while mitigating the effects of Vicarious Trauma (VT) in the early stages of their career has become increasingly important. The objective of this systematic review is to examine how intern therapists may be more susceptible to VT following the shift to online therapy because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A complete search of the literature was done with the goal of identifying any comparative studies assessing the effects of Vicarious Trauma on intern therapists providing online therapy to trauma clients. One independent reviewer completed the selection of studies, assessment, and data extraction using a pre-determined research design and inclusion/exclusion criteria.
Results: Ample information exists about the impact that VT has on the working trauma therapist, but there are additional limitations when the intern therapist is providing treatment from home, making them more susceptible to experiencing VT.
Conclusions: Intern therapists are more susceptible to experiencing VT when providing online counselling to trauma clients than when providing in person support. It is the ethical responsibility of organizations and master level programs to ensure intern therapists are not only aware of the adverse implications of trauma treatment, but how to best provide treatment when doing so on a virtual platform
