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Best Practices for Preventing Sexual Violence Between Adolescents: A Feminist, Ecological, Perspective
No full textSexual violence is a prevalent and harmful issue facing youth in schools. The victims of sexual violence are predominantly female and often adolescents, who suffer a myriad of physical, social, mental, and academic consequences as a result. School counsellors play a role in working to prevent sexual violence to protect the mental health and equal access to education of the students they serve. This capstone seeks to explore how to prevent sexual violence between adolescents from a feminist perspective through reviewing literature on risk and protective factors that lead to male adolescent sexual violence perpetration. Using the information from the literature review, a curriculum is designed that can be delivered in a school setting to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors and therefore prevent sexual violence perpetration between adolescents
Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Adult Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Medical Model Consideration
No full textThis capstone explores the strengths and challenges of the literature and recent clinical trials regarding psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) for treatment resistant depression (TRD). The nature of TRD requires ethical consideration. The medical model of psychedelic psychotherapy is criticized for its lack of cultural diversity and risks of exposure. The importance of extra-pharmacological principles and increased informed consent lend support to the notion that psychedelic psychotherapy may be a viable psychotherapeutic intervention to consider for TRD. Alberta was the first province in Canada to regulate psychedelic psychotherapy (Government of Canada, 2023). Therefore, policy, regulations, and implications for clinical practice and guidelines for professional training within Alberta will be discussed in this capstone, along with considerations for fundamental next steps in psychedelic research
Polyvagal Theory and Trauma: Presenting School Counsellors with a Physiological Understanding of Trauma
No full textTrauma is a pervasive issue in schools, affecting students' emotional well-being, social well-being, and academic achievement. School counsellors are increasingly called upon to address trauma in students, yet many may not have a strong understanding of the physiological mechanisms at play. To help address this issue, the Polyvagal Theory (PVT) provides a framework for understanding the autonomic nervous system's (ANS) response to stress and trauma. This paper presents an overview of PVT in the context of trauma, explores the literature of relevant physiological measures, and presents a guideline for becoming a polyvagal-informed helper. It also presents an introductory professional development workshop for school counsellors and educators
Mindfulness Practices for Adolescence and Young Adults with Social Media Compulsion
No full textSocial media use has been on the rise, especially among teenagers and young adults, making a life with the latest technology and applications almost impossible. The generation of adolescents today have grown up with smart phones and the access to social media. This paper consists of a literature review, showing that adolescents upholding their social connections easiest through social media. However, this behaviour can also lead to an excessive use of social media platforms. While the effects of social media compulsion need further scientific exploration, some studies found detrimental effects of social media compulsion. One of these are feeling more isolated than connected, experience higher psychological distress. The negative effects of social media use have been measured with the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) or the Digital Addiction Scale (DAS). Mindfulness practices could be an interesting intervention for adolescents or young adults, as it has been shown to alleviate psychological distress, as well as bring a sense of awareness and management of emotions to the person
How to Integrate Spirituality with Psychotherapy to Facilitate Healing
No full textThis capstone project explores the integration of spirituality with psychotherapy to facilitate recovery from various psychological conditions. It examines different definitions of spirituality and compares them to religion, exploring potential connections between spirituality and psychotherapy. Additionally, it investigates and presents research findings on the relationship between spirituality and psychotherapy. The project specifically analyzes three psychotherapy modalities that incorporate spiritual components. The project advocates for a holistic approach to healing and identifies limitations in the current understanding and practice of integrating spirituality and psychotherapy. It proposes recommendations for more inclusive and comprehensive approaches and emphasizes the need to address the impact of spirituality on the healing process. The project aims to contribute to the current body of research relating to counselling, psychotherapy, and therapeutic community work by identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. It will also provide practical strategies and techniques for therapists to effectively integrate spiritual elements in therapy while being inclusive and sensitive to clients' backgrounds and beliefs. Lastly, it delves into a discussion of best practices for integrating spirituality and psychotherapy into a retreat format, which aims to promote holistic healing by facilitating a stronger mind-body connection and access to inner consciousness
Defining Sex in Therapy: Adapting Sensate Focus to Center Client Definitions of Sex
No full textThe topic of sex is frequently raised by clients in counselling. Unfortunately, even when using sex therapy interventions such as sensate focus, counsellors seldom provide the opportunity for their clients to define what sex means for them. Literature review of the contextual, cultural, and societal factors that impact client definitions of sex demonstrate the diversity and complexity of factors that shape individual definitions of sex. The author's positioning in the research, ethical considerations, social justice perspectives, and a proposal for application of the findings are included to support counsellors in considering exploration of client definitions of sex. A proposal is made for a novel approach which integrates exploration of client definitions of sex with the sensate focus intervention. This capstone project argues that counsellors can improve inclusivity and non-judgment in their practice when holding space for client definitions of sex
