Ph.D., Antioch University, 2015, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the history of the Ford Motor Company's impact upon the Ramapo Watershed of New York and New Jersey, as well as upon the Ramapough Munsi Nation, an indigenous population living there. In a 25 year span the automaker produced a record number of vehicles and dumped a massive amount of lead paint, leaving behind a toxic legacy that continues to plaque the area and its residents. The Ramapough people are not unlike many native nations living in the United States who have experienced industrial excess. This study examines the mindset that allows for marginalizing portions of society as a part of standard business protocol and considers the dynamic of the `Wounded Storyteller' as a tool of survival engaged by the native community. Just as in ecological restoration the ecologist must work within an adaptive environment, narratives of recovery adapt to the wounding of tradition and emerge anew to a place of recovery. The Ramapough Nation has become the proverbial `canary in the mine shaft' being on the front line of lead paint sludge contamination. Their struggle to survive and to remake their lives can offer modeling for other communities beset with similar environmental contamination. This is an environmental justice issue that knows no racial boundary and will find its way into the general public. The author having grown up among this community is well versed in the history of discrimination as well as the dismissal of their native heritage on the part of academic institutions. He is also a person of the land and from his childhood witnessed Ford dumping in the watershed as well as the years of illness among the people. This study looks to dispel some of the myth around the community and shed light on the level of exploitation by industry, regulators, and politicians. While this is primarily an historical account there is an element of participatory research engaged here, as the author has worked with the community and students in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alesia Maltz Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Charlene DeFreese Sub-Chief, Ramapough Lenape Nation (Committee Member); Michael Edelstein Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tania Schusler Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Animals; Ecology; Environmental Health; Environmental Justice; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Ethics; Native Americans; Native Studies; Toxicology; Wildlife Conservation

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

This study explored Jungian analysts' experiences of countertransference (CT) using the qualitative method interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). The purpose of this study was to better understand how Jungian analysts experience, understand, make use of, and manage CT in daily practice. Six certified Jungian analysts were interviewed about their CT experiences from their analytic work with a past client. The study's main findings were that CT originated primarily from analysts' personal wounds and tended to manifest as analysts' disengagement or withdrawal from the client. Furthermore, analysts often used awareness and understanding of their CT to better manage CT. The nature of the therapeutic relationship was often influenced by CT and also emerged as an important factor in analytic process and outcome. Finally, this study found that contextual factors such as time, culture, and spiritual elements were key influences in the transference-countertransference dynamic. Overall, this study represents a step towards developing an empirical understanding of CT in Jungian models and hopefully facilitates a long-overdue dialogue between Jungians and mainstream practitioners, particularly those adhering to relational or interpersonal approaches.

Committee: James Fauth Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Lorraine Mangione Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lynn Catlin Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2014, College of Education

This study explores the differences in perceptions among educators regarding whether an empathic connection between themselves and students has a positive impact on the learning process and social issues like bullying. The exploratory study is based on responses to four survey statements regarding empathy based on a 7-point Likert scale. An independent t-test analyzed the data after a split half reliability test established the survey instrument as reliable. The data were analyzed in response to two research questions: Is there a difference between perceptions of empathy by those serving as school support personnel as opposed to those serving as teachers, and is there a difference in perceptions of empathy among those classified as limited longevity educators as opposed to those classified as veteran educators? Of the eight areas of analysis, the findings of this study concluded there were two areas that had statistically significant different outcomes from respondents. Both instances of statistically significant differences occurred within the demographic grouping of school support personnel and teachers with the differences in perceptions being in (a) whether they feel equipped as educators to be empathic with their students, and (b) if they believe that teaching empathy can have a positive effect on bullying.

Committee: Harold Wilson PhD (Committee Chair); Constance Savage PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Greg Gerrick PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; School Administration; School Counseling; Teaching

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Cross-Cultural, International Education

This research examines the lived experiences of nine women healers in South-central Indiana in terms of their journeys towards becoming healers. As a phenomenological case study, the goal is to discern the essence of participants' experiences becoming a healer. The study examines interview data using an inductive approach in order to answer the following research question: what is the essence of these specific participants' experiences of becoming a healer? Additionally, the study explores the following sub-questions; 1.) What can be understood about becoming a healer, in a general sense, by interpreting these specific women's experiences and life stories from a phenomenological perspective? 2.) How do participants make meaning of their lived experiences, their chosen path, and their identities as healers? In answering these questions, this study employs feminist, critical, and social theory frameworks. Nine women consented to participate in open-ended, semi-structured interviews and discuss their life histories, current paths as alternative healers, and worldviews. Additionally, one participant-observation and one observation were conducted to supplement interview data and immerse the researcher into the experience of healing and the lives of healers. The results of data collection are organized into four thematic areas that shed light on the nature of participants' experiences of the phenomenon under investigation. The major themes represent aspects of a cyclical, ongoing process or journey towards becoming and being a healer, from these participants' perspectives and experiences. These themes are; 1.) "Awakening," or the importance of inner transformation to facilitating healing work, 2.) "Open-mindedness," or the importance of developing a critical awareness of the self and society at large to the process of becoming a healer, 3.) "Grounding," or the importance of building connections to sustained empowerment as a healer and as a woman in order to reach a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christopher Frey PhD (Advisor); Sherri Horner PhD (Committee Member); Ellen Berry PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Alternative Medicine; American Studies; Cultural Anthropology; Education; Gender; Gender Studies; Native Americans; Religion; Spirituality

Bachelor of Arts, Miami University, 2010, College of Arts and Sciences - Psychology

The prevalence of psychological distress among the therapist population is significantly higher than the general population,. However, there is a surprising lack of research on the wounded healer and how being wounded influences the therapeutic relationship and impacts one's clinical work with clients. The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between a therapist's history of psychological distress – specifically, depression, anxiety, or substance abuse – and the impact this had on therapy with clients. Interviews with eight therapists were qualitatively analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The major themes that emerged included: variability in the experience of treatment and stage of recovery, specific countertransference reactivity related to the therapists' own wounds, benefits and difficult consequences of personal woundedness, and the importance of self-care. The results indicated that participants who had effectively worked through the issues surrounding their own wounds and were both aware of and capable of managing countertransference effectively did consider themselves better able to establish an effective relationship with their clients. However, the relationship between the different themes and the concept of the wounded healer was complex. Participants reported that their experiences as a wounded healer had been both beneficial, but also harmful at times, in terms of their ability to be effective with clients. Personal stigma surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness was also a concern for many therapists. Directions for future research in this area, both in terms of the need to de-stigmatize mental health issues and to provide guidance to therapists who are themselves wounded healers, are discussed.

Committee: Margaret Wright PhD (Advisor); Amanda Diekman PhD (Committee Member); Jill Matusek (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Psychotherapy

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2010, Psychology

The psychiatric survivor movement is an international political movement dedicated to fighting for human rights in the mental health system. People who identify as “psychiatric survivors” have experienced human rights abuses and oppression within the mental health system. In grassroots advocacy and peer-support groups, psychiatric survivors support one another as they heal from iatrogenic trauma, and also engage in activism efforts, creating and operating alternatives to traditional mental health services. A small number of psychiatric survivors have a chosen to re-enter the system as mental health professionals, and the current project focuses on the experiences of people with this dual-identity. The first goal for the project is that it helps to facilitate further dialogues between psychologists and the psychiatric survivor movement by exploring the implications of identifying with both discourses. The second goal is to engage in a process of researcher reflexivity, and in doing so, better understand my evolving identity as a therapist and ally of the survivor movement. Lastly, by exploring the experiences of people with a survivor-therapist dual identity, I will discuss how mental health professionals and survivors may work together to come to some shared understandings about the role of therapy and the nature of alternatives to the mental health system in the future. To accomplish these goals, I interviewed five survivor-therapists, asking how their identities as psychiatric survivors influences their approaches to therapy, as well as the nature of the relationship between these two identities. The participants consistently spoke to the foundational nature of their survivor identities in their work as mental health professionals. Some spoke about how their therapeutic approach is based upon how they would have wanted to have been treated themselves, while others talked about emulating the qualities of caring nurses and doctors they encountered during their hosp (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Larry Leitner Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Roger Knudson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ann Fuehrer Ph.D. (Committee Member); Paul Anderson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology