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Mindfulness and Self-Compassion: Attuning skills in self-awareness to promote self-care for Art Therapy practitioners a mixed-methods study using a Mandala art directive and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Get PDFThis study attempts to examine people in the mental health field, specifically, Art Therapists and graduate trainees who undergo many stressors in and out of the therapy space. Stressors like emotionally demanding situations with clients, to the demands of keeping up with proper work-related procedures, and needed educational requirements for practicing in the field can lead to burnout for practitioners and students in the field. Stress, burnout, and professional impairment are prevalent among mental health professionals and can have a negative impact on their clinical work, while engagement in self-care can help promote therapist well-being (Posluns & Gall, 2020). Research has indicated that the role of self-care can mitigate burnout symptoms particularly for those in the mental health field (Magruder, 2018). This study’s aim is to observe whether integrating mindfulness practices and therapeutic techniques like Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) with a structured Mandala art directive can help Art Therapy professionals and students increase their level of focused awareness and help attune skills in self-care. This study will employ a Mixed Methods research design approach with both quantitative and qualitative research analysis. A Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists (SCAP) (Dorociak et al., 2017) scale will be used with a pre-directive survey and post-directive survey assessing the participants’ subjective experience and art work. It is the goal of this study to create more awareness for the art therapy and mental health field overall for improved self-care, well-being practices, and techniques
“Because I Said So”: How National Leaders Use Rhetoric to Frame the Issues of National Security and the War on Drugs
Get PDFIn the preamble of the 2024 presidential election seasons in both the United States and Mexico, there has been an increase in aggressive outspoken expression by national leaders regarding how to best handle the issue of drugs and drug use across the Western hemisphere. These types of sweeping policies are often credited to President Richard Nixon, who on June 18th, 1971, initiated his “War on Drugs,” a global policy campaign intended to address the production, distribution, and consumption of the illicit drug trade. Existing scholarship on this topic has extensively analyzed the early years of the American war on drugs during the Nixon administration and the institutionalizing effects of the “drug problem,” however, there is a gap of knowledge covering sanctions of administrative strategies between 1992-2012, specifically analysis on the power of the presidential rhetoric and, consequently, its influence on setting the agenda for domestic/foreign drug policy between the U.S. and Mexico. This is where my research will fill this gap through data collection of presidential remarks, addresses, and speeches, all while using a binational lens into the relationship of the two countries. Drug control is an enduring and evolving issue, with the presidential rhetoric surrounding narcotics constantly shifting to adapt to the political climate and to define social reality for its citizens. Using critical analysis on archived presidential public statements of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Vicente Fox, and Felipe Calderon, along with historical context on narcotic reform in the United States and Mexico, this multi-national research argues that presidents utilize rhetoric in the contemporary war on drugs to shape punitive policy reforms
Male Caregiver Strain: The Mental Effects of Being an Informal Caregiver for a Family Member with Dementia and Alzheimer\u27s Disease
Get PDFBackground: Caregivers are vital in fulfilling patients\u27 primary care needs, and families prefer them over sending their loved ones to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Dementia are prevalent conditions necessitating continuous assistance due to memory and cognition impairments. As a result, support is essential for tasks like mobility, feeding, bathing, and perineal care, as well as emotional and physical challenges inherent in caregiving. Purpose: Upon diving into the mental health impacts of serving as an informal caregiver for individuals with Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Dementia, a notable research gap becomes evident, especially concerning male caregivers. This lack of information may stem from a potential reluctance among male caregivers to openly share their experiences and emotions due to fears of societal judgment. Additionally, they might avoid seeking support, feeling obligated by a sense of duty and loyalty to care for their loved ones unconditionally. This thesis proposal intends to shed light on the physical and mental well-being of male caregivers in their roles as informal caregivers for individuals with Dementia and Alzheimer\u27s Disease. The thesis will examine differences in caregiving responsibilities, the impact on health, experiences of burnout and strain, and the coping strategies used by male caregivers compared to their female counterparts. Method: The assessment will comprise 10 multiple-choice questions and three written response questions focusing on caregivers\u27 responsibilities and the perceived impact of these duties on their lives. Results: Data collection for this qualitative study is pending; however, the survey anticipates illuminating the experiences of the male caregivers interviewed
These Are (Not) Haiku
No full textThis manuscript consists of haiku & senryu composed during the MFA program. Each poem was submitted for publication to at least one magazine where it was initially rejected. Many of the poems here were rejected by more than one magazine. Some of the eighty poems forming this manuscript were rejected by as many as four different publications.
In reviewing his record of publication during the MFA program, the author realized that a little more than twenty percent of his published poems were originally rejected. Only a few of those poems were revised or altered prior to their subsequent acceptance at other magazines. Their inclusion here is both a record of a kind of failure (an unequivocal failure if the goal were to have published as many haiku & senryu as possible regardless of each poem’s accomplishments as an instance of its own type) but also an acknowledgment of how moveable a feast the notion of poetry of “publishable quality” actually is, at least as far as the cyclical nature of magazine production is concerned. In regarding such a manuscript, there are but two questions for the reader to consider: one, would the eventual publication of any of these poems actually prove its quality as an example of the genre? And two, would the continued rejection of any of these poems actually prove its permanent inadequacy
NewGen Surgical: Reimagining Health for People and Planet [Case]
Get PDFThe case study draws on structured interviews with Rob Chase, Founder and CEO of NewGen Surgical, as well as secondary data sources to analyze the effectiveness of these solutions in mitigating the risks and enhancing the company’s competitive advantage.
This case study examines how NewGen Surgical, a small- to medium-sized medical equipment manufacturer based in the USA, navigates a supply chain crisis caused by post-pandemic (COVID-19) supply and demand distress, trade restrictions, and the US–China trade war in 2022. It outlines the journey of CEO and Founder, Robert Chase, as he started, grew and is maintaining the company and its various challenges. The case study reviews the risks and vulnerabilities of the company, which heavily relies on Chinese suppliers for most of its operations. To address the supply chain challenges, the case study explores alternative solutions such as insourcing, reshoring, diversifying the supplier base, changing safety stock and implementing new technologies. The case can be designed to teach business courses such as global business, supply chain and entrepreneurship
My Body as a Journey Accessing Pre-colonial Identity for Healing Intergenerational Transgender Shame
Get PDFA graduate student in art therapy wrote this heuristic paper to explore shame\u27s role as both a negative internal feeling and a cultural and social tool for evaluating and regulating behavior. As a transgender woman, she examines what it is like to be labeled as Filipino and deal with being transgender. Tiny advances have been made in the understanding of shame within the context of minority transgender self-research. Using art to expose those feelings associated with shame, balance them with affirmations, and ground them in native identity are key aspects of this process. Consequently, meeting one\u27s shadow becomes a necessity for self-acceptance. There is a discussion about the potential to readapt the exploratory process into a card game for art therapy
Art-based Autoethnographic Study of a Senior Professional Woman of Color\u27s Journey
Get PDFThis proposed dissertation study is a visual autoethnographic qualitative study of the recalled lived experiences of a senior woman of color\u27s journey to become a spiritual art therapist professional during the 20th to 21st Century in the United States of America. This study interprets the memories of events in my lifetime, looking back through the lens of a spiritual mental health art therapist practitioner. The adverse effects of the legacy and enforcement of silence on women and black people. I hope that by describing my lived experiences and felt sense -- and illustrating my arduous journey to overcome societal racism, sexism, misogyny, violent sexual assaults, and the status quo that caused me to fear speaking up. Feelings of abandonment, depression, severe physical illnesses, helplessness, and hopelessness hindered my journey. Now, in addition to a hearing impairment, I am fighting stage four cancer in my last two semesters of doctoral studies.
Nevertheless, I did achieve my goals of becoming a Christian minister and an art therapist and completing my doctoral studies. The three major elements that helped me to survive, push through, and succeed were faith in God, family support (spiritual and natural), and the arts (visual, music, dance). These three elements brought me hope, joy, and strength. I hope that telling my story will help others to do the same and sustain me through this recently diagnosed stage four cancer battle.
Keywords: Spiritual practices, Art Therapy, Autoethnography, Racism, Gender Biase
Contextualizing George Orwell: How Orwell\u27s Life Experiences Influenced his Most Famous Novels
Get PDFGeorge Orwell is one of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century. His most famous novels, Animal Farm and 1984, serve as insightful commentaries on the horrors of totalitarianism. These two books have been studied extensively and incorporated into public and political discourse since his death in 1950. Contemporary right-wing and left-wing leaders and pundits both continue to reference the concepts and language in Orwell’s books to support their respective stances on various issues. Additionally, they have been presented to high schoolers and college students as simplified anti-communist novels or pro-capitalist propaganda during the Cold War. However, Orwell’s work outside of these iconic novels has been given far less attention. This research project contextualizes Orwell’s work with his life and examines the way his political ideologies changed as a result of his experiences. Special focus is given to Orwell’s stint as an imperial policeman in Burma, his time living in working-class England, and his experience in the Spanish Civil War. I argue that Orwell’s participation in the Spanish Civil War was a turning point in his life, exposing him to the authoritarian nature of Stalinism and solidifying his identity as a democratic socialist. This research illustrates that the common oversimplification of Animal Farm and 1984 is problematic as it fails to acknowledge Orwell’s commitment to socialism and his criticism of Western governments. I contend that Animal Farm was intended to be a warning about the corruption of revolution rather than revolution itself and 1984 was written with the intention of warning Westerners about the potential for totalitarianism in their own countries, while also addressing totalitarian regimes of his day
Tragedy to Transformation: The Ongoing Impact of September 11th in the United States
Get PDFOn September 11, 2001 (9/11), a coordinated Islamist terrorist attack hit the United States, consisting of four commercial airline hijackings and suicide attacks by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group, Al-Qaeda. This paper identifies the significant and enduring influences of 9/11 on the United States including discrimination against people of Middle Eastern descent following the attack, a connection between the events of 9/11 and the enhanced interrogation techniques at the Abu Ghraib prison, and a surge in patriotism characterized by a sense of public solidarity and a notable rise in military enlistment in the Armed Forces. Through an examination of the historiography, government reports, and testimonials from soldiers and detainees at Abu Gharib, the collected data reveals a deeper understanding of the discrimination found within the United States and the unwarranted torturing at Abu Gharib. Furthermore, the legacy of 9/11 is enhanced by a more scientific understanding of patriotism, measured by an increase of American flags displayed outside of homes, freeway overpasses, car antennas, etc., and the profound transformation of U.S. public opinion and public unity in hopes of rebuilding a divided and broken country. Analyzing these post-9/11 outcomes supports the future development of effective strategies for counterterrorism, policy, legal reforms, international relations, combating racial discrimination, and increasing the active engagement of individuals toward their nation