CityU Scholarly Work (Restricted)
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Contains access-restricted scholarly work from City University of Seattle students, faculty, and staff.
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Item Attachment Theory and Addiction: A Counselling Approach to Understanding and Treating Substance Use(2025-05-21) Arora, RiyaAttachment patterns developed during early childhood have a profound influence on an individual's emotional regulation and coping mechanisms, which can significantly impact the risk of developing substance use disorders. Insecure attachment styles, such as anxious, avoidant, and disorganized, are often linked to maladaptive coping strategies, including substance use, as individuals seek to manage stress, emotional pain, or interpersonal difficulties. This capstone explores the complex relationship between attachment styles and vulnerability to substance use, with a focus on the physiological, social, environmental, and biological factors that contribute to this association. The capstone explores the role of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in shaping these attachment patterns and their subsequent impact on addiction risk. Furthermore, the research considers clinical implications for treatment, discussing how attachment-focused therapies can enhance the effectiveness of interventions for individuals struggling with addiction. The findings point to significant gaps in current research, offering directions for future studies that could deepen our understanding of the attachment-addiction link and improve therapeutic approaches.Item The Science of Forgiveness: Mental Health Recovery and Interpersonal Reconciliation(2025-05-03) Bath, ShamaThis literature review examines the complex connection between forgiveness, trauma, and psychological resilience while filling a significant knowledge gap in existing studies. The literature review aims to evaluate how forgiveness interventions work across different cultures and the lasting behavioral effects on people who experienced childhood trauma. The research employs a strict qualitative approach to analyze interdisciplinary studies from psychology together with counselling and social work disciplines. This literature review investigates forgiveness as both a psychological phenomenon and social and cultural process which plays a key role in mental health treatment while showing gender-specific patterns. The research assesses the REACH Forgiveness model alongside its effects on trauma recovery and resilience development. The research also reveals insufficient cross-cultural studies and evaluates the combination of forgiveness interventions with trauma-informed care approaches. The review demonstrates the potential of forgiveness to strengthen resilience in trauma victims while recommending practical applications through culturally adapted psychoeducation programs and trauma-sensitive forgiveness therapy in different settings. The review concludes with recommendations for future research to study religious versus secular forgiveness practices and to evaluate long-term intervention effectiveness. The research also provides a detailed evaluation to improve trauma-informed forgiveness approaches while emphasizing cultural sensitivity and equity in mental health care.Item Treatment for ADHD in Western Culture: What are the Alternatives?(2025-05-04) Dreger, VanessaThis capstone carefully examines the systemic and cultural dynamics shaping diagnostic and treatment trends of in children and adolescents within Western culture. There is a critical analysis of underlying factors contributing to overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, and the overprescribing of stimulant medications (SMs). Further explored are the implications of SM use on the developing brain, highlighting research gaps and limitations. The primary aim of this study is to identify alternative treatment options and address the need for cultural inclusive and informed treatment methods. A comprehensive literature review was conducted over several months, where data was synthesized and findings were dispersed throughout the capstone, as well as three key themes in chapter two. The findings within this capstone reveal influence of broader Western social systems on diagnostic and treatment trends, necessitating the consideration of alternative, holistic, and culturally informed treatment methods. Significant gaps within the research are also addressed, focusing on the lack of cultural inclusivity in the perpetuation of systemic issues in ADHD care, with a primary focus on the experiences of Indigenous populations in Canada. The findings underscore the need for incorporating alternative approaches to ADHD treatment which prioritize cultural diversity, in efforts to dismantle and decolonize Western paradigms. By addressing systemic inequities and incorporating cultural perspectives, future practices can better support equitable and inclusive care.Item An Exploration on the Efficacy of MDMA-Assisted Therapy in the Treatment of Eating Disorders(2025-04-28) Qu, QrystalThis capstone project investigates the potential of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy as a novel approach for treatment-resistant eating disorders. In light of clinical and theoretical research on trauma, as well as neuroscience and psychedelic studies, it discusses how MDMA may alleviate eating disorder symptoms through modulating serotonin signaling, oxytocin levels, and amygdala hyperactivity. The review integrates current knowledge on the nature of eating disorders, the shortcomings of traditional treatments, and the link between trauma and eating disorders. The preliminary findings from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) studies, where the patients reported decreases in secondary eating disorder symptoms after receiving MDMA-assisted therapy, provide evidential backing. The therapeutic approach is described as combining humanistic aspects with a trauma-informed approach focused on eating disorders. Despite these questions, MDMA has the potential to target maintaining factors that traditional therapies cannot effectively change and may provide new relief for the 20-30% of patients who fail standard treatments.Item What Is the Impact of Attachment Towards Substance Usage in Youth and Its Effect on Being Unhoused?(2025-04-30) Waine, AndrewThis work focuses on youth, substances, and becoming unhoused through a predicted attachment theory relationship. In this work, attachment will be defined and dissected, showing the impact that it has on youth through various forms such as parents, caregivers, peers, and schools, and describes the benefits and consequences of attachment and lack thereof. Substances and becoming unhoused are explained as linear predictive factors for a lack of attachment. Gaps in current research are highlighted and given suggestions for advancing work in the field. Interventions to address the current issues with youth and attachment that may lead to substance use and being unhoused are also provided as to suggest different methods for promoting the health and wellbeing of youth in a pre- and post-situational way. Overall, this paper seeks to shed light on the drastic realistic impact that attachment can have on youth, their substance use, and potential for becoming unhoused, and provides suggested methods to tackle this problem.