Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.), Franklin University, 2020, Health Programs

Mental illness is a growing concern among families in the United States, as one in five children between the ages of 13 and 18 suffer from a severe mental illness (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2013). That means that 20% of children in the country are suffering from an illness whose treatment is difficult to access. Unfortunately, one-fourth of families report problems finding and initiating services for their children, with wait lists that typically start at three months (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2013). Even more troubling is the fact that 80% of children with mental illness do not receive any treatment at all (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2013). However, to improve access to treatment, organizations need to feel confident that they can open safe, financially sustainable mental health units. The Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in California recently opened an 18-bed inpatient psychiatric unit that services children ages 3-17 (Perkes, 2016). Many months of thoughtful consideration occurred to develop this elite and cutting-edge model of care. This researcher developed a specific model to approach pediatric mental healthcare through a different lens, called The Core Value Driven Care Model. The model of care is centered around three pillars of focus firmly built on the groundwork of core values. The pillars are representative of People, Place, and Practice, and are anchored in a foundation of empathy, compassion, trust, integrity, dignity, respect, sincerity, unity, honesty, and open-mindedness, as well as trauma-informed thinking. Implementing the Core Value Driven Care Model in a pediatric mental health unit directly impacts the perception of safety and quality of care being provided. The purpose of this study will be to assess the impact the 11 foundational core values have on employee perception of employee safety, patient safety, and quality of care.

Committee: David Meckstroth (Committee Chair); Alyncia Bowen (Committee Member); Jesse Florang (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Health Care Management; Management; Mental Health; Occupational Health; Occupational Safety; Psychology; Systems Design

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2014, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

In 2009, Gawande published an article in The New Yorker that put the unknown mid-sized South Texas city of McAllen on the map. The article stated that McAllen was one of the most expensive health care markets in the country; it caused such media-frenzy that in a few days President Barack Obama (2009) began citing McAllen in his speeches for health care reform. Gawande concluded that overspending in the area was due to overutilization of medical services. The present study examined whether mental health services are overutilized based on archival data on McAllen's mental health services collected from Medicaid, Tropical Texas Behavioral Health (a McAllen area community mental health center [CMHC]), and The Behavioral Center at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (a McAllen area private hospital). Findings yielded that diagnostic-related groups significantly impacted the average length of stay, as well as total costs for psychiatric inpatient treatment in McAllen, TX. Schizophrenia spectrum disorders required more days of treatment within the hospital than Bipolar disorders and further more days than Depressive disorders. Correspondingly, inpatient treatment of Schizophrenia spectrum disorders cost an additional $5,554.80 when compared to Bipolar disorders and $9,095.16 more than for Depressive disorders. Additionally, the readmission rate at Doctors Hospital was 26.72%, with nearly 1/4 of patients being readmitted at least once, and nearly 7% had 4 or more psychiatric hospitalizations within a one-year period. This readmission rate was higher than the national average perhaps because of inadequate after-care outpatient treatment in McAllen. Medicaid data showed that Texas consistently failed to contribute any state moneys to mental health spending; and that Massachusetts saw a considerably smaller increase in mental health expenditures over a 10-year period for both inpatient and outpatient services when compared to the United States as a whole (i.e., 26% vs. 260% for (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gargi Roysircar Ph.D. (Committee Chair); David Hamolsky Psy.D. (Committee Member); Carlotta Willis Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2022, Educational Leadership

This study identifies the assets that principals use to support school based mental health care [SBMH] and makes several recommendations for increasing the efficacy of principals in interacting with SBMH systems and includes their recommendations for improvement in fostering, sustaining, and improving SBMH. Mental health needs are a historically underserved issue that greatly affects the ability of students to learn and flourish. Through a grounded theory analysis within a multiple case study framework, five cases are described and thereafter nine assets were developed as common to the cases informing on the beliefs, competencies, and traits possessed by principals. The identification of these nine assets supports emergent findings of a construct of interactions and describes common factors involved in a principal's support of SBMH.

Committee: Lucian Szlizewski (Advisor); Érica Fernández (Committee Co-Chair); Kristy Brann (Committee Member); Ann MacKenzie (Other) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2007, Psychology/Clinical

While mental disorders are prevalent in primary health care settings, they often go undetected and untreated. There are no records to be found on studies of the effectiveness of Icelandic primary care physicians in diagnosing and treating mental illness. However, it is likely that the Icelandic primary health care system is not significantly different from systems in other countries that show poor detection and treatment of mental illness. The present study is the first study aimed at evaluating Icelandic primary care physicians' experience with mental health problems and perceived competence in detection and treatment of behavior disorders. Furthermore, it is the first empirical attempt to assess the need for improved primary mental health care in Iceland. This exploratory study was designed to assess primary care physician's perception of: 1) Prevalence and significance of different behavior disorders in the primary health care clinics, 2) their ability to detect and treat behavior disorders within the primary health care system, 3) the physician's access to mental health services as well as quality of communication with mental health professionals, and 4) barriers to adequate mental health care within the Icelandic primary health care system. Main results suggest that Icelandic primary care physicians correctly identify that they, among all health care workers, are the ones seeing the highest proportion of people in the community suffering from mental health problems. They also correctly identify that depression and anxiety are the most prevalent groups of behavior disorders in primary care. However, while they seem to be quite confident in their ability to treat and detect mental illness, extensive amount of research from around the world show extremely poor detection and treatment of behavior disorders in primary care. Most Icelandic primary care physicians view the detection and treatment of mental illness in their clinic as adequate or good. However, most agr (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: William O'Brien (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Educational Studies

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of professional counselors embedded in NCAA Division I athletic departments. Specifically, what are the pre-professional, educational, and professional experiences of licensed or license-eligible professional counselors who are/have been employed by or embedded in NCAA Division 1 Athletic Departments? Since 2019, a variety of licensed mental health providers have been embedded into college athletic departments to support the mental health and well-being of student athletes. There is currently no literature that documents how licensed professional counselors approach their work embedded in college athletic departments nor how they prepare to do so. The problem this study was intended to address is the lack of preparedness and job clarity for licensed professional counselors working in college athletic departments. Similar studies exploring the experiences of social workers (Beasley et al., 2021) and registered dieticians (Antle et al., 2021) in NCAA Division I Athletic Departments have successfully used phenomenological inquiry to provide rich data and information used to help improve student athlete health outcomes and professional staff retention through exploration of professionals' experiences. This phenomenological study used data from 10 semi-structured interviews to understand the experiences of professional counselors embedded in college athletic departments. Analysis of the transcripts resulted in three major themes and eight subthemes: (1) Athletic Counselor Role & Professional Counselors Approach to Service Delivery, (2) Counselor Professional Identity, (3) Culture of Athletics. The participants identified systemic concerns related to their job positions, namely where they are housed physically and organizationally. The participants' ability to effectively deliver services was influenced by their proximity to the environment, ability to adapt clinical se (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Colette Dollarhide (Advisor); Samantha Bates (Committee Member); Tanya Middleton (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Health Education

Introduction: Racism plays an important role in the everyday lives of many Black people. These experiences can influence health and health behaviors. Racism can also affect decisions to seek out needed health care. African Americans had more positive attitudes toward seeking professional mental health services compared to other racial/ethnic groups however, they were less likely to utilize these services (Diala et al., 2000). This could be due to many reasons including incidences of racism, a lack of Black mental health professionals, privacy concerns, and religious beliefs. Racial identity also plays a key role in accessing services and as perceived racism increases, intentions to seek counseling decrease (Mosley, 2014). It is important for nurse midwives and other health providers to seek out the help they need for self-care so they can continue to provide high quality care to their patients. Purpose: This study examines whether perceived racism influences self-reported health and mental health help-seeking behaviors of Black nurse midwives and subsequently impacts their perceived ability to provide quality care. The Health Belief Model, a theoretical framework in the field of health that helps explain health behaviors and direct health promotion interventions, will guide the study. The specific purpose of this study is to measure the effect of perceived racism and constructs of the Health Belief Model (perceived barriers to help-seeking, cues to help-seeking) on self-reported health and mental health help-seeking behaviors which could potentially affect the ability of Black nurse midwives to provide quality care to their patients. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing midwives who identify as Black from the American College of Nurse Midwives (N=26). Utilizing the Health Belief Model (HBM), an 86-item questionnaire was developed to gain a better understanding of how perceived racism affects self-reported health, help seeking (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Victoria Steiner (Committee Co-Chair); Mounika Polavarapu (Committee Member); Colleen Taylor (Committee Co-Chair); Barbara Saltzman (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Health; Health Education; Mental Health; Nursing

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

Mental healthcare organizations have a reputation for being unhealthy places to work. The irony of this reputation is keenly felt by its workforce who report unsustainable workloads, high levels of stress, and lack of support or engagement from higher-level leadership. As a mental healthcare provider now in a position of leadership, who has worked across all levels of care within the sector, it was of interest to me to explore how a mental health organization can become a healthier and more sustainable place to work. I approached this study with the assumption that if an organization was healthy and intentional about health in its operation, this would be beneficial to the members of that organization, to the individuals whom the organization serves, and to the organization itself. This study endeavored to answer the question of how mental health organizations can become healthier places to work, considering both the factors that are within the control of mental healthcare organizations as well as those that are not. This study built on prior research by considering multiple factors identified in the research as functioning in relationship to each other. This is a development on previous research which has predominantly investigated aspects of work environment, mental healthcare worker experience, and patient care as siloed elements. Informed by the literature review, an Action Research study was developed and conducted. Study participants represented a cross-section of work experiences within mental healthcare organizations ranging from direct care providers to program directors and administrators. Participants engaged in discussion groups for the purpose of perspective sharing across experiences in order to collaboratively investigate the question of how mental health organizations could become healthier places to work. Key findings of the study were that practical solutions to improve the work environment are feasible and accessible, and not n (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Donna Ladkin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Lize Booysen DBL (Committee Member); Michelle Pensec-Salyers Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Health Care Management; Management; Mental Health

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an educational video shown to patients during their visit with a hospital resident. The main research question examined whether a video providing education about mental health counseling, shown to patients during a medical visit, was positively correlated with patients reporting having a conversation with their doctor about mental health counseling during the medical visit. There were 147 patients in this study and 93 did not watch a video about counseling and received the standard level of care while 54 patients watched the video about mental health counseling. The study used a series of regression analysis to examine the main research questions and found a significant difference between patients who watched the video and those who did not in their reported conversations about mental health counseling with their doctor. The study also found that patients who viewed the video were more likely to have more positive attitudes towards seeking help (ATSPPH-SF). Finally, the study examined whether there were differences in outcomes for those patients who reported having a conversation with doctor and those who did not have a conversation and found those who reported having a conversation with their doctor were more likely to have lower knowledge about counseling.

Committee: Darcy Haag Granello (Committee Chair); Colette Dollarhide (Committee Member); Christopher Wolters (Committee Member); Perry Lin (Committee Member); Waleed Khalil (Committee Member) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Counseling Education; Mental Health; Psychotherapy

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2019, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project is to create a resource that will better equip pastoral caregivers to become spiritual companions for people with bipolar disorder. The resource, Spiritual Companionship and Bipolar Disorder, establishes that pastoral caregivers are gateway people for those with bipolar disorder to receive appropriate care and models multi-disciplinary collaboration. The resource is evaluated by twelve experts using a questionnaire that includes both quantitative and qualitative questions. As a result, the resource is found to have a strong foundation and creative spiritual experientials. Insights give direction on how to improve the resource including format and cohesiveness.

Committee: Shane Johnson DMin (Advisor) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Pastoral Counseling; Spirituality

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Health Education

Study One Purpose. Study one assessed perceived cultural competence, satisfaction with health care, and mental health care access among post-secondary foreign-born students. Method. A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study using a subsample (n=655) from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey was used. Chi-square and ANOVA tests assessed levels of satisfaction with health care services received in the prior year and evaluated differences with satisfaction by place of birth, English skill, and length of residence. Differences in proportions between foreign-born and U.S. born were evaluated to see which group was more likely to have health insurance, a medical home, or have seen a mental health or general doctor in the prior 12 months. Results. Foreign-born participants were almost two times as likely to report not having a medical home and three times less likely to have seen a mental health provider. Foreign-born post-secondary students had higher levels of dissatisfaction than their U.S born counterparts. Effect size analyses showed that the magnitude of difference was small. The majority of post-secondary students had access to health care and were satisfied with the health care they received. Conclusion. More research needs to be done to better understand the health gaps and differences for foreign-born students. Future research should include immigration status and foreign-born students who might have recently arrived in the U.S. Study Two Purpose. To assess the presence of mental health distress symptoms, levels of severe mental health distress, and health care access patterns among post-secondary students and to determine if differences by place of birth, English skill, and length of residence existed. Method. The study utilized a subsample (n = 655) of data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey. Selected items measured the presence of mental health distress, levels of severe mental health distress, health care access, and selected dem (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Liliana Rojas-Guyler Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Amy Bernard Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bradley Wilson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mental Health

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2018, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Mental health issues among school-aged children are a growing concern and subject of intervention and prevention studies nationwide. While several implementation and service delivery models exist for school-based mental health services (SBMHS) they are often localized, population or program specific, and do not adequately address the issues related to stigma. Building on Cook and Kilmer's 2012 article integrating community psychology principles and systems of care values, a review of the literature is conducted to identify issues and barriers from stigma in current school-based and mental health service delivery. Key guidelines and specific considerations are presented to address identified limitations and augment the current implementation models for collaborative SBMHS through the practical application of community psychology principles. The creation and function of a coalition in the spirit of collaboration uniquely provided by partnering systems of care & community psychology principles is a central component. While the main focus and application of these objectives is at the micro and exosystem levels for change, the local community and school, school district and state, they can also be integrated at the macrosystem level for initiatives, legislation, and policy changes.

Committee: Jane Harmon-Jacobs Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Mark Russell Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Member); Jamila Brown Psy.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; School Counseling

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2022, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on mental health. Queer women and nonbinary individuals disproportionately experience mental health issues when compared to heterosexuals, often facing challenges in receiving care from providers who are sensitive to their concerns and competent in their care. Objective: To report experience of queer women and nonbinary individuals in the United States with mental health care services before and during the pandemic. Methods: Data were gathered via a 43-item survey about experiences with mental health care services before and during the pandemic that was posted on four social media sites, and flyers hung in university student centers and businesses friendly to LGBTQ individuals. Queer women and nonbinary individuals between the ages of 18 and 75 were invited to participate. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's correlations were used for data analysis. Results: There were 175 participants who met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. During the pandemic, more survey participants received mental health services compared with before the pandemic. How they received care significantly changed from before the pandemic (mostly in-person) to during the pandemic (mostly remote). Participants reported being seen significantly more frequently for mental health care during the pandemic compared to before. A higher percentage of participants received both psychotherapy and medication during the pandemic compared with before. They were generally satisfied with their mental health care; however, satisfaction was significantly higher during the pandemic. Conclusion: During the pandemic, compared with before, significantly more participants received mental health care and there were significantly more virtual mental health visits, more frequent mental health visits, more intensive therapies, and higher patient satisfaction. Telehealth care was perceived to be beneficial by most participants.

Committee: Shannon McIntyre PhD (Committee Chair); Roger Peterson PhD, ABPP (Committee Member); Jennifer McLean PsyD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Glbt Studies; Health Care; Psychology; Psychotherapy

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Health Education

Study One: Purpose. Identify differences in child mental health factors, perceived neighborhood safety, and child health care access by demographic characteristics. Methods. Secondary data analysis of the 2017 Interact for Health Child Well Being Survey. Primary caregivers (n = 2,757) responded to questions about children. A random-digit dial structured questionnaire was utilized. Results. Caregivers reported that less than two-in-ten children (14.5%, n = 398) had good emotional health, 4.1% (n = 112) had depression, and 9.1% (n = 250) anxiety. Depression was higher among White, female, and 11-17 years, and African American children below 100% FPL. White children, age 11-17 years were diagnosed with anxiety more than African American or Other. Most caregivers felt their child was always safe (62.5%, n = 1,719) with 1.0% (n = 27) feeling their child was never-safe in their neighborhood. Caregiver's reported 98.5% (n = 2,705) had health insurance, 98.8% (n = 2,723) had a medical home, 88.3% (n = 2,426) received preventive care services while 11.7% (n = 322) did not. Statistical analyses revealed several differences. Conclusions. White, suburban, higher income, or children from married families received diagnosis and treatment for depression and anxiety more than low income, urban, or minority children found to have lower mental health scores. Increased screening for mental health disorders among vulnerable populations needs to be addressed as a priority. Study Two: Purpose. Identify differences in child caregiver physical health status, mental health status, level of parent emotional support, and perceived levels of neighborhood safety. Methods. Data (n = 2,757) from the 2017 Child Well Being Survey were utilized. Results. Nearly 7 in 10 caregivers reported their physical health as very good or good (68.1%, n = 1,878). A majority of caregivers reported their mental health as very good or good (62.2%, n = 1,707) and 93.3% (n = 2,571) had someone to provide day-t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Liliana Rojas-Guyler Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Amy Bernard Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tina Stanton-Chapman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bradley Wilson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Education

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2019, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

To date, disability identity development is a highly understudied construct. There are many models of disability, each interpret disability through a specific lens, but do not address the influence of disability on identity development. The few theories of disability identity that do exist have not been widely adopted. In addition, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support them. Another difficulty is that these theories do not separate different disability groups. Rather, the theories are applied to a broad heterogenous group of disability types. This is a problem because each disability type is quite distinct from the others and therefore each disability requires its own developmental model. On the surface, alternate models of identity development, such as racial identity development, seem similar to what might be expected in the process of disability development, however, as of 2019, no such studies have been conducted or published. It is the purpose of this project to uncover themes of disability identity development as they pertain to people with spina bifida in order to build a framework for understanding the process of identity development in this population. A descriptive phenomenological methodology was used to conduct a thematic analysis of existing literature. A total of 79 articles were reviewed in detail, and common themes and connections were noted. Nine themes of identity development for people with spina bifida emerged. The themes include: (a) employment, (b) family, (c) physical health, (d) psychological and mental health (e) view of disability, (f) sexuality, (g) impact of others, (h) psychosocial, and (i) transition. Each theme was deemed an essential element in understanding the process of identity development for those with spina bifida. This study was limited by the scope of literature reviewed as well as a lack of first-hand accounts of the identity process. This work is intended to be preliminary and to provide direction for further res (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dana Waters Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Boland Ph.D. (Committee Member); Brett Kuwada Psy.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Behaviorial Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Health; Health Care; Individual and Family Studies; Mental Health; Personality Psychology; Physical Therapy; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Public Health; Rehabilitation; School Counseling; Social Psychology; Social Work; Sociology; Special Education; Therapy; Vocational Education

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Health Education

Study One Purpose. The observational data of tobacco use from a 2016 National Health Interview Survey of a subsample of Southeast Asian Immigrants, conducted by the United States, was assessed. The survey data were used to measure the demographics for smoking cessation, lung health issues and tobacco use as well as lung health issues based on health care utilization. Methods. The survey, implemented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was used to measure participants' (n = 478) tobacco use, smoking cessation, lung health issues and health care utilization. The survey procedure comprised a structured questionnaire in multiple choice format and telephone follow-up interviews. Results. The results in this study showed that 23.4% (n =112) had smoked at least 100 cigarettes with the average age of cigarette use being 20.82 (SD=10.081). Smoking cessation for e-cigarettes used was 6.9% (n =33) and 15.2% (n = 5) reported using e-cigarettes on a daily basis. In terms of lung health issues, 9.6% (n = 46) reported asthma, 1.0% (n = 5) emphysema, and 1.0% (n = 5) COPD. The age group with the highest prevalence for tobacco use was 46-65 years old (40.2%, n = 45), while 18-25 year old (n = 1) showed the lowest prevalence. Males and those with a high school degree only were more likely to be smokers. There was no statistical significance for smoking education levels, income, language skills, marital status, or insurance status. Conclusions. Findings of smoking behaviors were stronger among older participants than younger participants with a lower percentage of e-cigarette cessation use and a lower percentage of lung health issues in the focus group. Study Two Purpose. This work carried out an observational evaluation of the levels of neighborhood support, existing mental health issues, and mental health care utilization among Southeast Asian immigrants through utilization of data from the 2016 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the Centers for Disease (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Liliana Rojas-Guyler Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Amy Bernard Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bradley Wilson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Education

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2018, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

Burnout is best defined as a condition consisting of symptoms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1982). It has been characterized as a process that develops through a variety of work and individual factors. Furthermore, it has been shown to impact one's career, physical health, and mental well-being. Much of the literature on burnout has been studied on psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, with a paucity of studies focused on marriage and family therapist (MFTs). The lack of burnout literature on MFTs is in spite of their employment in many diverse clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of Associate MFTs (AMFTs) working in community based agencies and identify factors that contribute to feeling burned out. Moreover, the study sought to identify ways AMFTs recognize, prepare for, and manage burnout. Research has identified risk and protective factors of burnout and self-care is a topic routinely discussed in the mental health field. However, this study attempts to elucidate the burnout phenomenon by unearthing lived experiences of clinicians experiencing work stress and understanding what it is about the nature of self-care that is effective for clinicians in managing its impact. This Dissertation is available in Open Access at AURA: Antioch University Repository Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu and OhioLink ETD Center, http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Committee: Brett Kia-Keating Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Christopher Howard Psy.D. (Committee Member); Kyle Killian Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Occupational Psychology; Psychology; Psychotherapy

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Nursing

Complementary approaches to health and wellness are widely used and research is needed to provide evidence of their utility. Rosen Method Bodywork (RMB) is a complementary approach with a small, but growing body of evidence. The purpose of this research study was to explore the processes of Rosen Method Bodywork to develop a theoretical framework about what occurs over the course of receiving sessions RMB, both within the recipient and between the recipient and the practitioner. In this grounded theory study, data from interviews of twenty participants was analyzed and a theoretical model of the overall process of RMB was constructed. The model consists of the five integrative phases through which these participants moved within the iterative RMB process from Feeling Stuck and Disconnected to Feeling Connected. Mindfulness is observed to be a central component of the RMB process which participants describe as helpful for trauma recovery. Implications of these findings for mental health care providers, including advanced practice mental health nurses, for Rosen Method Bodywork practitioners, and for future research are discussed.

Committee: Denice Sheehan PhD, RN (Committee Chair); Christine Graor PhD, RN (Committee Member); Pamela Stephenson PhD, RN (Committee Member); Clare Stacey PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Alternative Medicine; Health; Health Care; Nursing; Psychology; Psychotherapy

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2016, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

The purpose of this research is to determine what influences Veterans and their mental health treatment. This topic matters on a personal level for me as I am a Veteran and have had friends commit suicide. This topic matters on a much broader level for the many families out there losing their loved ones on a daily basis. It matters for those Veterans who sacrificed so much. Others in the past have focused on combat, PTSD/mental health, quality of care, self-medicating and the effect each had on the Veteran. The theory guiding this project was that once the influencers are identified in the Veteran's mental health treatment, it would then be possible to use those, in such a way, to influence future Veterans and current Veterans who need the treatment but choose not to. This thesis uses a secondary data analysis research design with 1,888 Veterans from the 2013 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The results showed that there was no correlation with mental health treatment and age, gender, race, combat pay, income, and drug and alcohol abuse. The correlations were with medication for mental health treatment and mental illness severity. Future focus should be more personal as in surveys or direct interviews as the information will address issues that were beyond the scope of this thesis. This will allow better acknowledgement of some of the outside influences, like age, income, marital status or roles that family and friends may play. This could also determine whether Veterans feel that medication helps or if they simply take it because they are told to.

Committee: John Hazy PhD (Committee Chair); Richard Rogers PhD (Committee Member); Derick Young (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Mental Health; Military Studies; Sociology

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2014, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

This survey study explored factors in optimal collaboration between registered psychologists and primary healthcare physicians (PHCP). With rising costs of healthcare, healthcare funding cuts, and changes in the way healthcare delivery is perceived, interprofessional collaboration is timely to explore. In particular, the attitudes of registered psychologists about salient factors noted in the collaboration literature, such as education and training, accessibility, and communication factors are important to the practice of psychology. As part of the exploratory nature of the study, questions about gender and hierarchy were also presented. While most data were quantitative, qualitative data were gathered on 6 of the 39 questions in the survey. Participants were 349 registered psychologists from all provinces in Canada, 125 male, 222 female. Two hundred and ninety five participants completed the survey in English; 54 completed the survey in French. Predictor variables used were education and training, accessibility, and communication factors. These were related to the criterion variable preferred form of collaboration consisting of the following levels of contact: (a) classic form of referral and consultation, (b) informal collaboration/ corridor consultation, (c) formal collaboration, (d) co-provision of care, and (e) co-therapy. Exploratory areas were hierarchy and necessity. Results of descriptive analysis of central tendencies and variability of the variables in the study were presented. Further data analysis indicated significance between the predictor variable of necessity and the criterion variable preferred form of collaboration. Analysis also revealed significance between the predictor variable education and training and the criterion variable: preferred form of collaboration. Finally, multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed a significant relationship among the variables age, years of practice and field of psychology as they relate to a preference f (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patricia Linn Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Mary Wieneke Ph.D. (Committee Member); Natasha R. Harvey Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Mental Health; Psychology

Doctor of Nursing Practice, Mount St. Joseph University , 2023, Department of Nursing

Historically, a visit to the medical director was not consistently provided to each new patient at the TriHealth Outpatient Alcohol Drug Treatment Program (TOADTP). This resulted in patients being dispossessed of access to care such as evaluation and comprehensive treatment of co-occurring mental health diagnoses, the initiation of pharmacotherapy, and initiation of medication-assisted treatment for persons living with substance use disorders. This project centered on development and implementation of a standardized intake process for TOADTP patients with the goal of increasing referrals to the medical director to expand access to these lifesaving interventions. Over an eight-week period, pre-intervention data were collected. During this pre-intervention period, only one of the 12 new patients was referred to the medical director. Development, education, and mobilization of the new standardized intake process included: analyzing the old intake process for variances, educating the direct care team about the benefits of practicing from an evidence-based platform, developing a new intake process that included a hard stop in the electronic health record, and educating the TOADTP team about it. The process then was mobilized. Post-intervention outcome measures were collected over an 8-week period. These measures revealed that 17 out the 24 new patients were referred to the medical director. In sum, the implementation of a standardized referral process to the medical director increased referrals from 8.4% to 70.8%, thus expanding access to life-saving evidence-based care for people living with substance use disorders.

Committee: Rachel Baker Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Mental Health; Nursing