Each year, an alarming number of college women are victims of interpersonal violence. In investigating the experiences of college women, the process of disclosure has emerged as an important research focus. Much of the current literature on interpersonal violence disclosure has focused on negative and positive social reactions from informal and formal supports. However, there is a lack of literature understanding how those disclosure reactions are connected to psychological, emotional, and behavioral consequences after the disclosure. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight diverse college women, the present study explores the nuanced ways survivors experience formal and informal disclosures, interpret disclosure reactions, and experience distress and growth. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) following a feminist paradigm, I identified seven themes related to the process of sharing one’s interpersonal violence victimization with others. The themes were organized into two categories that illustrate participants’ disclosure experiences and the psychosocial consequences of disclosure. The findings of this study may be used to inform training for university resource personnel as well as education for individuals within a survivor’s support system.

The Latinx population in the United States is projected to increase exponentially in upcoming years. Latina women in particular are put at disproportionate risk of experiencing psychological distress after immigrating to the US. Separation from family upon immigration introduces more difficulty to the immigration experience. Yet protective factors such as family cohesion may buffer potential psychological distress. The present study will examine the two following research questions. First, is there a difference in psychological distress experienced by Latina young women who report separating from their family in comparison to those who did not experience familial separation at immigration. Second, does a potentially deleterious effect of immigration on familial attachment underlie or mediate the hypothesized positive association between separation at immigration and psychological distress. Participants were Latina young women who ranged from 18-23 years-old, were unmarried, and had to have resided in the US for 36 months or less. I used structural path analysis to examine hypothesized associations among separation status, attachment to family, and psychological distress. Findings aim to inform mental health interventions for Latina young adults who immigrate to the US without family.

Given the severity of risks that accompany the current COVID-19 pandemic, many are experiencing negative psychological effects, such as increased symptoms of depression and anxiety (i.e., mental health distress). As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impress upon society, it is pertinent to assess the ways in which COVID-19 may be impacting first responders; many of which who are responsible for tending to the safety and wellbeing of communities during this time. However, little is known about how medical first responders may be experiencing COVID-19 related stress, whether this impacts their experience with symptoms of mental health distress, and furthermore whether this stress is different for those in different countries. As such, the present study sought to assess the association between COVID-19 related stress and symptoms of mental health distress in medical first responders for those living in Australia and the United States. Further, given the positive effects romantic relationships have on an individual’s interpersonal functioning, the potential moderating effect of perceived relationship commitment was examined. A total number of 79 participants completed the study. Contrary to hypotheses, results showed that there was no significant association between COVID-19 related stress and symptoms of distress, nor was relationship commitment found to moderate symptoms of distress. Implications of this study have the potential to guide mental health professionals working with medical first responders who are experiencing symptoms of distress, particularly in times of crises similar to that of COVID-19.

With the rise of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among adults in the United States, understanding the processes of trauma, trauma related disorders, and the long-term impact of living with them is an area of continued focus for researchers. This is especially a concern in the case of current and former military service members (veterans), whose work activities and deployment cycles place them at an increased risk of exposure to trauma-inducing experiences but who have a low rate of self-referral to healthcare professionals. There is thus an urgent need for developing procedures for early diagnosis and treatment. The present study examines how the tools and findings of the field of linguistics may contribute to the field of trauma research. Previous research has shown that cognition and language production are closely linked. This study focuses on the role of prosody in PTSD and pilots a procedure for the data collection and analysis. Data consist of monologic talk from a sample of student-veterans and analyzed with speech software (Praat) for pauses greater than 250 milliseconds per 100 words. The pause frequency was compared to a PCL-5 score, an assessment used to check for PTSD symptoms and evaluate need for further assessment and possible diagnosis of PTSD. This pilot study found the methods successfully elicited data that could be used to measure and test the research questions. Although the findings of the study were inconclusive due to limitations of the participant pool, it found that the research model proved effect as a model for future linguistic research on trauma.

“Sam’s Emotional Day: A Child’s Guide to Recognizing and Handling Emotions” is a creative project that fulfills the thesis requirement for Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University. It is an illustrated children’s book meant to help children ages 4-7 identify, understand, and manage the six basic emotions. The illustrations of the main character throughout the book display clear facial expressions associated with each emotion, which were designed for children to easily identify them. The text in the story portion will prompt children to understand the feelings behind each emotion in a simple matter, and the end of the book provides techniques for them to manage emotions. Research on the importance of teaching children emotions, how to teach them, and similar children’s literature are discussed. Facial expressions and feelings while experiencing an emotion was also researched, which is presented in the creative process. An analysis of the text and illustrations is provided as well.

Despite the growing numbers of foreign-born Latina young adult immigrants in the United States, this population is underrepresented in psychological science. Building upon previous literature, this study examines the moderating effect of acculturation and enculturation on the relationship between depression and alcohol use quantity and frequency among 530 young Latina women (ages 18-23 years) who recently immigrated to the United States (i.e., approximately 12 months prior to assessment). Acculturation (i.e., the process of immersion into

another culture) lessened the positive link between depression and alcohol use quantity and frequency. Those with higher levels of acculturation reported less symptoms of depression and alcohol use. Enculturation (i.e., the process of immersion to one’s own ethnic culture) increased the positive link between depression and alcohol quantity and frequency. Implications for culturally competent counseling for this underserved and understudied population are discussed.

Despite the population of transgender individuals in the United States doubling

from 2011 to 2016, this population is one of the most understudied in psychological

science. Of the available research, the associations between gender congruence, defined

as an individual’s body matching their gender identity, and well-being have been

examined, particularly demonstrating positive associations between gender congruence

and overall life satisfaction. However, there remains a dearth of research on the possible

associations between gender congruence and relational well-being - particularly sexual

satisfaction - and possible moderating effects of the internal negative feelings regarding

one’s identity (internalized transphobia). To address these gaps in the literature, this study

gathered data from 165 binary transgender men. While there was not an effect of gender

congruence on sexual satisfaction, internalized transphobia was found to moderate this

association such that individuals who reported high internalized transphobia and high

gender congruence reported the highest sexual satisfaction. Results of this study highlight

the existing literature on the negative associations between internalized transphobia and

well-being for transgender individuals. Implications for counselors are discussed,

including advocacy efforts and implementation of techniques to facilitate growth and

resilience to help transgender clients navigate the negative effects of internalized

transphobia.

Adolescents experience a lot of stress from changes and difficulties in their physical appearance and their relationships—affecting their mental and emotional well-being as well as their family's relationships and functioning. Research has shown that family music therapy has been fairly successful in helping both children and adolescents and their families improve their communication and mutual attunement while encouraging self-expression in the child and teenager. However, the literature focuses mainly on families with children ages 10 and under, at-risk families, and non-clinical families. Little focus in the research literature is given to adolescents and their mental and emotional health concerns.

The purpose of this thesis was two-fold: 1) to perform a systematic review and collect information from articles that used music interventions or music programs to address the mental health needs of families and adolescents, and 2) to develop a family music therapy program for teenagers with mental health concerns based on the research literature used for the systematic review. Fourteen articles were included in the study. The main interventions and programs were improvisation (n = 6), songwriting (n = 3), lyric analysis or song discussions on client-selected music for introspective and expressive purposes (n = 3), therapeutic singing (n =1) and structured group music making (n = 1). Common outcomes included improvement in the adolescents' self-expression and communication, restoration of family relationships, increased awareness of covert family issues, and improved family communication and interactions. The proposed six-week music therapy program is improvisation-based, considering the amount of improvisational interventions that were found in research. Session plans include interventions such as musical “icebreakers” and warm-ups, improvisation, lyric analysis, and a culminating songwriting experience.

Keywords: family therapy, music therapy, adolescents, mental illness

Traditional autonomy within clinical supervision was reinterpreted by incorporating culturally-encompassing autonomy types (individuating and relating autonomy) from the dual autonomy scale. The relations of vertical collectivism and autonomy measures were examined. Lastly, potential moderating effects of vertical collectivism on experience level and autonomy were assessed. The sample consisted of 404 counseling trainees enrolled in graduate programs across the US, aged between 21 and 68. Results from the confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposed two-factor structure of individuating and relating autonomy among counseling trainees for the adapted dual autonomy scale. Results indicated that individuating autonomy was moderately correlated with relating and traditional autonomy, and relating autonomy was not correlated with traditional autonomy. Vertical collectivism was not correlated with relating autonomy, but significantly predicted individuating and traditional autonomy. Moderating effects of vertical collectivism on experience level and autonomy were not supported. Further implications and future directions are discussed.

Sexual trafficking, the commercial sexual exploitation of individuals for profit, is reported to occur around the world. Tens of thousands of women and children are reported to be trafficked into the United States each year. Reports indicate a negative impact on an individual’s physical, mental, and interpersonal health. Presently, therapeutic models have been proposed but not yet formalized. Current training programs are not focused on developing therapeutic skills. The primary researcher developed the present study to discern an understanding of the lived experience of mental health professionals who have provided therapy with this population. Moreover, the primary researcher sought to understand how these mental health professionals view current preparation programs.

The present study used qualitative inquiry to examine the experience of practitioners in this field. Constructivism was used to center upon each interviewees’ description of their lived experience. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data generated within each interview. Thematic structures were intricately linked to the data generated by focusing on the internal elements of the interview rather than a pre-conceived structure. Validation was employed through analytic memo writing and audits.

Findings were consistent with core components of therapy; however, analysis yielded some themes specific to therapy with survivors of sexual trafficking. Interviewees shared a common practice of conceptualizing each client and a motivation to build a safe and collaborative relationship, provide focused therapeutic structure, and support their clients beyond the average boundaries of therapy. Interviewees reported a minimal amount of interaction with training programs due to scarcity.

The findings suggest an increased need for training programs to prepare professionals to provide therapy with this population. Interviewees described a need for sensitive and specific trauma therapy training, consistent with suggestions in the literature. Future research may include further investigation into training programs when more have been developed. Interdisciplinary teams were a common desire among interviewees. Future research may explore the efficacy of interdisciplinary teams with this population. Finally, interviewees indicated advocacy work as an intricate part of their role as a therapist with this population and future research could investigate how this may impact the therapeutic relationship.