Theses and Dissertations from UMD

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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Counseling Psychology

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
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    INVESTIGATING DIFFERENCES IN STRUCTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND METACOGNITIVE PROCESSES AMONG LAY HELPERS ADVANCED STUDENTS AND SENIOR PROFESSIONAL THERAPISTS
    (2011) London, Kevin; Kivlighan, Dennis M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Therapist expertise is associated with the use of complex knowledge structures and metacognitive processes. A cross sectional ex-post facto design assessed differences in structural knowledge and metacognitive processes between lay helpers, advanced students, and senior professional therapists. A card sorting task involving 19 therapist intentions was used to assess the following structural knowledge indicators: minutes to complete a card sort, number of card sort categories, and card sort score. Metacognitive processes were assessed using an adaptation of the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory and the Self-reflection subscale of the Self-Reflection and Insight subscales. An inverse U shaped relationship was found in where compared to lay helpers and senior professional therapists; advanced student's had higher card sort scores, indicative of greater consistency with a sample of experienced therapists. Compared to lay helpers and advanced students, senior professional therapists used significantly more time to sort therapist intentions and sorted intentions into a greater number of categories. Relative to metacognitive process, advanced students and senior professional therapists reported significantly greater knowledge of cognition than lay helpers. Also, advanced students also reported greater self-reflection than both lay helpers and senior professional therapists. Discriminant analysis assessed the potential for a linear combination of structural knowledge indicators and metacognitive processes to differentiate participants by level of therapist development. Self-reflection and card sort scores discriminated advanced students from senior professionals, whereas knowledge of cognition and minutes to complete the card sort discriminated experienced professionals from lay helpers. Multidimensional scaling analysis was used to assess the optimal structural configuration of the pooled card sort data and yielded a 4 dimensional solution of the 19 therapist intentions. Results were consistent with Skovholt and Ronnestad's (1992) model of therapist professional development. Results also supported the attenuating effect of ill defined problems on problem solving ability of highly experienced individuals in their respective domain. The study concludes with implications for training, therapy, and research.
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    Social Cognitive and Acculturation Predictors of the College Adjustment of Asian Americans
    (2011) Hui, Kayi; Lent, Robert W; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of the present study was to extend understanding of factors related to the college adjustment of Asian and Asian Americans. The study was based on the SCCT model of well-being and included an exploratory focus on culture-specific variables. Data were collected from 122 undergraduate college students who self-identified as Asian, Asian Americans, or Pacific Islander. The present findings are generally consistent with previous studies of the SCCT model of satisfaction, providing empirical support for the cross-cultural validity of the SCCT model with Asian American students. The predictive model accounted for a substantial percentage (41-44%) of variance in the college adjustment indicators, academic and social domain satisfaction. The present study extends the findings of previous studies by showing the differential utility of self-efficacy and social support in predicting domain satisfaction. Results from both quantitative and qualitative data highlighted the importance of social support in the college adjustment of Asian Americans. The present findings also suggest that cultural variables (acculturation and enculturation) relate to Asian Americans' college adjustment indirectly via self-efficacy, social support, and goal progress. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and future research are discussed.
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    The Influence of Religiosity on Relationship Satisfaction and Therapeutic Outcome as Mediated by Commitment Level
    (2011) Dresser, Ciara Nicole; Werlinich, Carol A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this study was to examine the common factor and client characteristic of religiosity in order to determine its effect on relationship satisfaction and therapy outcome, as well as to determine whether commitment level was a mediator of those associations within a clinical sample of couples who had experienced mild/moderate psychological, verbal, or physical abuse. Results indicated several trends. For males, a non-significant positive trend was found suggesting that their religiosity was positively associated with relationship satisfaction at the initiation of therapy. Another trend was for more religious females to be more committed to their relationships. Both females and males' commitment level was significantly correlated with their relationship satisfaction. A trend towards a negative association between religiosity and relationship satisfaction was found for females when commitment level was controlled for, and for males there was a trend towards a negative association between commitment level and therapy outcome.
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    PARTNER'S CONFLICT BEHAVIOR AND RECIPIENT'S ATTACHMENT STYLE AS PREDICTORS OF PERCEIVED CRITICISM IN CLINICAL COUPLES
    (2011) Savory, Kara Lee; Epstein, Norman B; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The association between critical communication behavior exhibited by one member of a couple during a conversation and the amount of criticism that is perceived by the person's partner was explored. The study investigated whether that association is moderated by the degrees to which the recipient of messages identifies with each of four attachment styles (secure, fearful, preoccupied, and dismissing). The sample was 95 couples who had sought therapy at a university-based couple and family therapy clinic. Each couple engaged in a 10-minute discussion of a conflictual issue in their relationship, which was video-recorded and subsequently coded for constructive and destructive communication behavior, including criticism. For both men and women, the amount of actual criticism predicted the amount perceived. Attachment styles did not directly predict the amount of criticism perceived, but there was evidence that for both genders attachment styles moderated the relationship between the degree of conflict behavior exhibited by the partner and the amount of criticism that the recipient perceived.
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    Couple Therapy Process and Its Relation to Therapy Outcome
    (2011) Evans, Laura Melisa; Epstein, Norman B.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Research on psychotherapy has found that characteristics of clients and therapists often are more strongly associated with treatment outcome than are specific therapeutic models or techniques. This study examined the relations between client and therapist common factors and outcomes of couple therapy. The sample was 40 couples presenting with mild to moderate psychological and physical abuse and who received ten sessions of couple therapy at a university-based clinic. The study investigated relations of client common factor characteristics (negative communication and negative attributions) and the therapist common factor characteristics (warmth, empathy, presence, validation and systemic techniques and session structuring) with couple therapy outcomes (changes in overall relationship satisfaction and in level of psychologically abusive behavior). Hierarchical linear modeling analyses testing an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) revealed that males' negative attributions were associated with a decrease over treatment in their own use of psychological abuse, whereas females' negative attributions were associated with increased use of psychological abuse by males. Females' negative communication was associated with increased psychological abuse by females. As expected, therapist use of technique factors was associated with decreased psychological abuse by males. Unexpectedly, therapist presence was associated with less positive change in relationship satisfaction for males, and therapist use of technique factors was associated with less positive change in relationship satisfaction and increased use of psychological abuse for females. Therapist factors moderated the relationships between the client pre-treatment negative characteristics and therapy outcome, such that in some cases higher levels of therapist factors (warmth, presence, validation) enhanced a positive relationship between pre-treatment negativity and positive therapeutic outcomes and in others higher levels of the therapist factors (technique factors, presence, validation) amplified a negative relationship between pre-treatment characteristics and poor therapeutic outcomes. Therapist factors did not buffer the negative relationship between client negativity and positive therapy outcomes as expected, although there were instances in which therapist factors enhanced a positive relationship between these variables. Actor and partner effects, as well as gender differences, are discussed. The study's implications and limitations are considered as they contribute to understanding how client and therapist common factors influence the course of couple therapy.
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    First Baby, First Year: Gratitude and Emotional Approach Coping as Predictors of Adjustment and Life Satisfaction during the Transition to Motherhood
    (2011) Piontkowski, Sarah; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Becoming a mother is one of the most common major life transitions, with approximately 82% of the population of women in the United States having given birth by the age of 45. Although becoming a mother is generally thought of as a positive experience, the transition to parenthood can also present many challenges. This study examined the postpartum transition of 152 first-time mothers. Utilizing the stress and coping model, this study explored the role of gratitude and emotional approach coping on postpartum distress, postpartum adjustment, and life satisfaction. Data were collected using an online survey, and correlations, regression analyses, and mediation analyses were run. The findings revealed that women who reported higher levels of both gratitude and emotional approach coping also reported better postpartum adjustment, greater life satisfaction, and less postpartum distress. The health of both the mother and the baby also predicted better postpartum outcomes for mothers.
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    BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES REGARDING HPV VACCINATION AMONG COLLEGE-AGE WOMEN: AN APPLICATION OF THE HEALTH BELIEF MODEL
    (2010) Schaefer, Kathryn; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The human papillomavirus (HPV) represents the most common sexually transmitted disease. The development of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, protects women from becoming infected. The current study examined attitudes toward the HPV vaccine in 150 college-age women who had received the vaccine and 58 college-age women who had not. Data were collected using an online survey and correlations and regression analyses were run to assess for relationships between the variables of interest. Using the Health Belief Model (HBM), predictor variables included perceived benefits, barriers, susceptibility and severity regarding HPV infection and vaccination. Additional psychosocial variables were also explored. Results indicate that for unvaccinated women, perceived benefits accounted for unique variance in predicting vaccine intentions. Moreover, self-efficacy, cues to action and subjective norms all accounted for unique variance in differentiating vaccinated from unvaccinated women. In summary, women's decision to get the vaccine involves a complex interplay of factors.
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    Dream Groups versus Interpersonal Groups: Comparison of Two Approaches to Eating Disorder Prevention among Sorority Women
    (2010) Spangler, Patricia Tschirhart; HIll, Clara E; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Maladaptive eating attitudes and behaviors are prevalent among college women, and members of sororities may be at particular risk for developing eating disorders. Recently, group-format prevention programs targeting maladaptive cognitions and unhealthy eating habits among college women have yielded promising results but did not account for the effects of changes in alexithymia or interpersonal dynamics, factors that have been associated with eating disorder etiology. The current study targeted these and other eating disorder risk factors among sorority women, comparing process and outcome of group dream work versus group interpersonal psychotherapy versus control groups. Pre- to post-intervention changes in alexithymia, body dissatisfaction, fear of negative evaluation, and depression and were compared. In addition, development across time of affective referents and image intensity in written responses and group climate were examined. Growth curve analysis was used to compare changes in all variables over time. Results indicated that the written responses of dream group participants had more intense images in them that either the interpersonal groups or control condition. In addition, at post-test, the image intensity in interpersonal group members' written responses predicted the proportion of affect expressed in them, whereas this was not the case for dream group or control participants. For group climate, members of interpersonal groups perceived higher initial levels of conflict that decreased significantly over time.
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    Providing Feedback to Group Co-Leaders to Improve Group Climate: An Intervention to Facilitate Similar Mental Models in Co-Leader Teams
    (2010) Miles, Joseph Richard; Kivlighan, Dennis M.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study examined the effectiveness of an intervention that provided feedback to co-leaders of intergroup dialogues about their mental models of their group members. Co-leaders completed similarity ratings of their group members, and group members completed a measure of group climate following each of seven weekly sessions. Co-leader similarity data was used to derive each co-leader's mental model of her or his group members for each session. Co-leaders in the experimental condition received feedback in the form of a graphical representation of their own and their co-leader's mental model of their group members after each session, and were provided with discussion questions to help them examine these mental models. Co-leaders in the control condition did not receive feedback, but were given discussion questions regarding the most important incidents in their most recent dialogue session. The Engagement and Avoidance aspects of group climate in the intergroup dialogues developed as predicted (i.e., Engagement significantly increased and Avoidance significantly decreased), however there was no significant change in the Conflict aspect of the group climate over time. Additionally, co-leader mental model similarity was not significantly related to any of the aspects of group climate as predicted. Finally, results indicated that the feedback intervention did not significantly impact the level of similarity in co-leaders' mental models, or the group climate.
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    Trainees' Use of Supervision for Clinical Work with Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients: A Qualitative Study
    (2010) McGann, Kevin; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Most studies considering lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients and their therapists have primarily focused on the clients' experience in therapy (Israel, Walther, Gorcheva, & Sulzner, 2007; Liddle, 1996) or on the therapist's experience of the client (Bieschke & Matthews, 1996; Garnets, Hancock, Cochran, Goodchilds, & Peplau, 1991). However, the role that clinical supervision plays in therapists' development in working with LGB clients is rarely studied. Not enough is known about how supervision is perceived from the perspective of the supervisee who is developing skills in working with LGB clients. The current study examined 12 interviews with randomly selected predoctoral interns at APA-accredited counseling centers around the country, to explore how they made use of the clinical supervision they received for their work with LGB clients. The single previous qualitative investigation of this topic (Burkard, Knox, Hess, & Shultz, 2009) examined interviews with LGB advanced doctoral students. The current study extends the investigation of this topic by interviewing six heterosexual-identified trainees in addition to six trainees who identified as LGB or queer (Q), and by investigating a more geographically heterogeneous sample. The interviews explored various aspects of the supervision experience, including trainees' expectations of their supervisor for supervision of their work with their LGB client, the contributions of trainees and their supervisors to the supervision process, and the impact of supervision on work with the LGB client and other clients. The data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; Hill, Knox, Thompson, Williams, Hess, & Ladany, 2005; Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). All participants valued their supervision relationship, and found their supervisors helpful in assisting them in their therapeutic work with their LGB client. Trainees typically experienced their supervisors as multiculturally sensitive, and some felt that their supervisors helped them with LGB-specific interventions and case conceptualizations. Some differences between how heterosexual and LGB-identified trainees used supervision for their work with their LGB clients. All participants reported gains from their supervision experience with their LGB client that positively affected their work with other clients, regardless of these clients' sexual orientation.