The National University System Repository exists to increase public access to research and other materials created by students and faculty of the affiliate institutions of National University System. Most items in the repository are open access, freely available to everyone.
Recent Submissions
Item Impact of Digital Divide on Digitalization Adoption of Black Churches in Urban American Communities – East St. Louis(2026-04)The coronavirus epidemic exposed the depth of the digital divide in the United States. Many of the marginalized communities’ disparities in COVID-19 cases are documented, but pathways of digitalization adoption and distribution in concentrated disadvantaged neighborhoods facing digital inequality are not. The purpose of this quantitative research study is to determine how the digital divide and traditional broadband infrastructure influence Black churches' digitalization adoption of technological advances for online spiritual services. The research study focuses on Black churches in East St. Louis, a low-income metropolitan city in St. Clair County, Illinois. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology is the comprehensive framework and guide used to understand factors and constructs influencing the adoption and implementation of digital technologies. An anonymous survey was used to collect data from sampled zip Code neighborhoods; there were 16 surveys collected. The limited engagement led to using descriptive statistics instead of inferential testing. The accepted portions of the hypotheses reflected the relevance of digital incorporation. The partially rejected portions of the hypotheses further underscored technology limitations imposed by the digital divide documented by spiritual leaders concerning technological skills, literacy, connectivity, and bandwidth utilization. The potential implication of identifying data polarization to sustain statistical honesty was essential as not to overextend ordinal data while analyzing smaller sample populations. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for future research and practice that offer actionable guidance for verifying and monitoring connectivity, training leadership for digital workflows, and pursuing affordable digital strategies proportionate to assessed roles and risks.Item Beyond the Stigma: Treating Non-Offending Minor-Attracted Persons as a Form of Child Protection(2026-05)This paper examines therapeutic approaches that support adults who experience sexual attraction to minors and are seeking to live offense-free lives. Framed within a preventionoriented lens, this paper takes the position that supporting this population is fundamentally a form of child protection. Current literature suggests that some individuals with minor attraction are aware that any sexual contact with a child constitutes harm and are motivated to seek support to manage their attractions responsibly. Despite this, mental health services have historically been situated within forensic or correctional contexts, often engaging individuals only after an offense has occurred. This emphasis on post-offense intervention limits opportunities for early engagement and fails to address the needs of those actively seeking help. Stigma, fear of disclosure, and uncertainty regarding legal and ethical obligations continue to shape both help-seeking and clinician response. Many practitioners report feeling unprepared or uncomfortable working in this area, which can further restrict access to care. Drawing on emerging research, this paper explores the role of stigma, mental health, coping, and treatment approaches in shaping prevention-oriented practice. It highlights the importance of equipping clinicians with clear, evidence-informed guidance to support ethical, effective engagement, reduce barriers to care, and strengthen early intervention efforts aimed at preventing harm.Item How Do Individuals Experiencing Suicidal Ideation Engage with AI Tools Like ChatGPT, and What Can Therapists Learn From These Interactions(2025-09)The increasing accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI) conversational tools has introduced a new dimension to help-seeking behaviour, particularly among individuals experiencing psychological distress. This capstone examines how individuals experiencing suicidal ideation engage with AI-based tools such as ChatGPT, and what therapists can learn from these interactions. As clients increasingly turn to AI during vulnerable moments, counsellors face new clinical and ethical questions for which current professional guidance remains limited. This project employs a thematic literature review guided by two complementary theoretical frameworks: humanistic theory and behavioural theory. Humanistic theory provides a lens for understanding the relational and emotional needs individuals may seek to meet through AI interactions, while behavioural theory, drawing on operant conditioning and reinforcement schedules, illuminates patterns of habitual engagement and their psychological and physiological correlates, including effects on emotional regulation and nervous system activity. The review finds that AI use during suicidal ideation is neither inherently beneficial nor harmful, but context-dependent. Individuals may turn to AI for its immediacy, anonymity, and perceived non-judgment, and some may experience short-term emotional relief. However, AI systems lack the relational depth, ethical accountability, and risk assessment capacity of human practitioners, and repeated use may reinforce avoidance of interpersonal support. Prior AI interactions may also shape client expectations within therapy, influencing the therapeutic alliance and help-seeking trajectory. Based on these findings, a five-component clinical framework is proposed to support counsellors in assessing, understanding, and therapeutically engaging with client AI use. The capstone concludes that human relationships remain central to effective counselling practice, and that clearer professional guidelines, training, and culturally responsive approaches are needed as AI becomes increasingly embedded in everyday mental health support.Item Healing from Narcissistic Abuse: A Feministic Perspective(2026-06)Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global issue that can cause victims to have major consequences in deteriorating mental health symptoms and can end in death. IPV typically involves a man perpetrating a female. A specific type of IPV, narcissistic abuse, is very prevalent, however, often more difficult to assess in relationships. Objectives of this paper are to review the literature regarding the presentation of narcissistic abuse in relationships, the symptoms victims may have after experiencing narcissistic abuse and to review the research evidence on effective counselling interventions. The topic of narcissistic abuse, and how counsellors can help survivors heal/empower women after experiencing narcissistic abuse will be discussed. I will also highlight how narcissistic abuse can lead to other forms of severe physical violence and provide insight into how to create safe support to mitigate these risks. The end goal of this paper is to learn how to identify severe forms of IPV (narcissism) in future counselling sessions and lower risk of femicide/brain injury.Item Beyond Risk: A Critical Review of Counselling Approaches to Suicidality(2026-05)Despite extensive clinical efforts, suicidality remains a persistent clinical challenge, due in part to how it is conceptualised and treated within counselling. Dominant approaches continue to prioritise risk assessment, short-term stabilisation, and liability management, often at the expense of relational depth and contextual understanding. This capstone examines how suicidality is conceptualised and treated in counselling and critically analyses the limitations of both prevailing frameworks and alternative approaches to suicidal distress. The review reveals a disproportionate focus on acute risk and behavioural outcomes, significant methodological inconsistencies, and persistent tensions between risk management and relational care, individual and contextual understandings of distress, and short-term containment and longer-term change. In response, a qualitative, constructivist grounded theory study is proposed to examine how therapeutic relational processes shape clients' experiences of suicidality, offering a foundation for future research that centres subjective experience, context, and client agency.
Communities in National University System Repository
Select a community to browse its collections.