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Narratives of Resilient Identity: Group Counselling for Racialized Women International Students in Higher Education
No full textPractices from gender and racism discourses can recruit international racialized women students into a single story of surviving in Higher education, negatively impacting their mental health and academic performance. Therefore, this population narrative relies in a marginalized identity that leads to the imposter phenomenon and stereotype threat limiting their ability to thrive. The purpose of this capstone is to analyze if Narrative Group Therapy can be beneficial to reauthoring internalized oppression and relate to resilient identity stories instead. A review of the literature on existing evidence of Narrative Group Counselling is provided
Social Factors Influencing the Development of Adolescents’ Sexual Self-Concept: Implications for Comprehensive Sexual Health Education
No full textThis capstone investigates how social factors influence adolescent sexual self-concept (SSC) and informs sexual health education (SHE) practices. Examining religious, educational, and caregiver influences reveals nuanced findings. Religious teachings in conservative denominations often perpetuate shame and stigma for sexual and gender minority youth. School-based SHE programs promoting abstinence and heteronormativity negatively impact SSC, especially for LGBTQIA2S+ youth. Caregivers, while influential, face barriers in discussing sex positively. The implications for counsellors include providing accurate information, supporting families with queer youth, and adopting culturally competent approaches. Despite some progress, challenges persist in critiquing abstinence-only ideologies and promoting comprehensive SHE. A proposed workshop aims to empower caregivers in fostering open discussions about sexuality within families. In conclusion, comprehensive and inclusive SHE is vital for informed decision-making and positive SSCs among adolescents, urging further research and focus in this area
The Role of Self-Compassion in Treating Women with ADHD
No full textAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) presents unique challenges, particularly among women, due to often subtle or misunderstood symptom profiles that can lead to underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis (London & Landes, 2019). This capstone explores the intersectionality of ADHD in women, emphasizing the importance of tailored diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The literature review delves into the disparities in ADHD symptom manifestation and diagnosis across genders, highlighting the evolving understanding of ADHD and its impacts from childhood through adulthood. Significantly, this capstone research project emphasizes the role of self-compassion in enhancing the well-being of individuals with ADHD. This capstone research project highlights the following research question: How can CFT support women with ADHD? Research indicates that women with ADHD often exhibit lower levels of self-compassion, which correlates with poorer mental health outcomes. The capstone discusses interventions aimed at fostering self-compassion, which have been shown to mitigate the negative effects associated with ADHD, such as emotional dysregulation and social isolation. Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is presented as an effective treatment modality for ADHD, particularly for those with high levels of shame and self-criticism. The efficacy of CFT in enhancing overall well-being and its potential to improve treatment outcomes for women with ADHD is critically analyzed
Utilizing Harm Reduction Strategies in Eating Disorder Counselling
No full textEating disorders are complex mental illnesses characterized by persistent challenging behaviours associated with food that significantly impact an individual’s daily activities. The risk factors and etiology of eating disorders are multifactorial, and EDs impact all individuals regardless of age, gender, and cultural background. EDs are regarded as highly difficult to treat, and individuals experiencing EDs are at risk of serious physical and mental health complications. This paper will examine the current landscape of ED care and treatment in Canada highlighting barriers individuals face when accessing care. This paper will also introduce the concept of harm reduction as a strategy to support individuals with EDs to minimize risks associated with harmful behaviours while continuing to engage in treatment. The potential benefits and ethical challenges of harm reduction approaches will be critically evaluated, to support counsellors in integrating this framework into their existing treatment modalities while prioritizing client safety and
respecting client autonomy and recovery goals
Can Holistic Psychotherapies Be Brief?
No full textCan holistic therapies be brief? This project aims to offer a few therapeutic, philosophical, sociological and social justice rationales to illustrate that a holistic approach (like the one proposed here) and brief psychotherapy have fundamental differences, making it impossible to merge into one
therapeutic modality without causing potential harm to users. The question of whether a holistic therapy could be brief arises from the increased demand for brief therapies, the growing acceptance of a holistic approach to psychotherapy, and the prevailing capitalist narrative that has filtered into intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships in a variety of ways. Brief therapies are growing in demand because they represent an affordable alternative to open-ended therapies. However, brief therapies may respond not only to economic pressures but also to the internalization of capitalist core values that seek faster results while diminishing human complexity and overlooking the needs and rhythms of the body and psyche. Currently, no holistic brief therapy (HBT) is on the horizon; however, the growing acceptance of holistic therapies and the permanent pressure to achieve faster results in almost all areas of human life might incubate the idea that HBT is not only possible but necessary
Culturally Inclusive Interventions to Aid Adolescents in Regulating Social Media Usage and Boosting Self-Esteem
No full textAdolescents are experiencing increasing challenges with greater social media usage and low self-esteem. These challenges bring many adolescents to counselling services in the hope of healing. However, based on current research there is a lack of clear understanding of the culturally inclusive interventions that will help regulate social media usage and boost self-esteem in culturally diverse adolescents. This capstone research project aimed to explore the impact of social media on self-esteem and culturally inclusive interventions that can aid adolescents in regulating their excessive social media usage and boosting their self-esteem. A review of peer-reviewed studies published between 2017 to 2023 and a thematic analysis and synthesis of studies was completed. Six themes emerged, the impact of social media usage on adolescent self-esteem, the role of masking in non-Western cultures, the role of mindfulness in culturally inclusive interventions, cultural inclusiveness through expressive art-based interventions, cultural support groups, and culturally adapted Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The clinical implications section offers specific recommendations to help practitioners in creating effective therapies for culturally diverse adolescents. Lastly, future recommendations and conclusions include recommendations for future research and a reflection on the learning that occurred
Scroll to Cope – The Relationship Between Problematic Social Media Use and Emotion Regulation
Get PDFAs social media becomes increasingly embedded in our daily lives, it raises critical questions about its impact on mental health and well-being, particularly among adolescents and young adults who the most active users are. This capstone explores the psychological, physiological, and neurological effects of prolonged social media use, emphasizing the appeal and risks of short-form content and the relationship between problematic social media use and emotion regulation. By examining the neurobiological processes and utilizing the polyvagal theory framework, the paper elucidates how chronic social media use affects emotion regulation abilities. The capstone also reviews current interventions, focusing on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), proposing tangible strategies to improve emotion regulation and alleviate symptoms of problematic social media use. Through comprehensive research, this study aims to increase awareness of social media's impact and provide actionable strategies for both individuals and mental health professionals to foster adaptive emotion regulation skills and reduce the negative effects of social media on mental health
Preparing for & Integrating the Ayahuasca Journey: What is the Role of a Western Psychotherapist?
Get PDFThis capstone explores the use of ayahuasca as a healing modality and whether there is a role for a counsellor or therapist in the preparation and integration of an ayahuasca journey. A literature review provides an introduction to ayahuasca as an Indigenous medicine, its traditional usage and the efficacy of ayahuasca in treating Western concerns such as depression, anxiety, and addiction. Findings suggest that ayahuasca is a highly integrative medicine that works on the biological, psychological, physiological, emotional and spiritual levels, which makes it so effective. The phases of ayahuasca are outlined, focusing primarily on preparation and integration, with a brief discussion on ceremony. Preparation includes several medical considerations and adhering to a strict diet. Integration is a critical component of an ayahuasca journey in that it involves taking insights from the medicine and applying new behaviours or learnings into participants' daily lives. Ayahuasca integration is an emerging and important field of research with considerable opportunity for further exploration. This study is critical to counselling as no standardized training or comprehensive best practices exist for integrating plant medicine. Ayahuasca is a powerful healing modality which can be challenging. Potential participants should give ayahuasca much respect and consideration before embarking on a journey. The final chapter of this capstone offers a suggested list of considerations to help participants safely work with the medicine. The guide can also provide therapists insight into the complexity of preparing for and integrating ayahuasca. The most critical component of acting as an integration therapist is significant personal experience with the medicine
The Impact of Attachment on Grief and Loss Processes Amongst Youth Aging out of the Foster Care System
No full textThis Capstone Project aims to provide the reader with an understanding of the barriers and challenges young people experience in foster care. In addition, it brings awareness and education towards the missing gap between youth aging out of care and the lack of specialized support. This paper aims to examine the impact of attachment on the grief and loss processes among youth aging out of the foster care system. This paper examines the current literature on how young people in the foster care system experience the areas of grief, loss, attachment processes and styles of their aging out experience. Also, this paper analyzes the impact and role of foster parents on young people and their development. Thus, a specialized therapeutic program can be implemented by having foster parents play an integral role in supporting foster youth through their aging out experience