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 Compassion Fatigue Across Professional Development: A Systematic Literature Review of Psychologists and Counsellors-in-Training(2025-12) Sochan, DanielCompassion fatigue (CF) is a well-documented occupational hazard within psychotherapy and counselling, yet significant gaps remain regarding how CF develops and is experienced at different stages of professional growth. This systematic literature review examines how compassion fatigue manifests among psychologists and counsellors-in-training (CITs), integrating Burnout Theory as the primary conceptual framework alongside secondary perspectives from Vicarious Trauma Theory and Self-Compassion Theory. A structured search of PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the City University Library identified peer-reviewed literature published between 2010 and 2025, resulting in approximately 50 studies that met inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis revealed five major patterns: (1) conceptual overlaps among CF, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma; (2) heightened developmental vulnerabilities in trainees related to emotional regulation, empathic over-identification, fragile professional identity, and supervision inconsistencies; (3) protective factors such as self-compassion, mindfulness, reflective supervision, and compassion satisfaction; (4) comparative differences between trainees and experienced psychologists in boundary setting, resilience, and coping strategies; and (5) persisting methodological and conceptual gaps in the existing literature. Findings indicate that CF is a dynamic, developmentally shaped process influenced by individual, relational, and systemic factors. Implications emphasize the ethical importance of early intervention within training programs, as well as the need for trauma-informed supervision, wellness-based curricula, and institutional policies that support sustainable clinical practice.Item Including Harm Reduction Conversation in Substance Use Counselling with Youth(2025-10-01) Tobias, JaimeThis capstone explores how incorporating a harm reduction approach when counselling youth who use substances strengthens the therapeutic alliance and prioritizes youth's safety. Youth who are using substances often experience shame, stigma, and barriers when looking for support and connection regarding their substance use. A harm-reduction approach offers a person-centered lens to exploring substance use that places emphasis on choice, autonomy, and dignity when it comes to making decisions about their substance use. Using a person-centered and harm reduction lens, this capstone explores how a harm reduction approach to substance use meets youth where they are at and strengthens the therapeutic alliance. This capstone aims to explore harm reduction as an approach to supporting youth who use substances within a counselling setting.Item The Impact of Sexual Violence on the Sexual Well-Being of Adult Survivors of Sexual Assault(2025-12-15) McKibbon, ChelseaThis literature review seeks to answer the question: how does sexual violence impact sexual well-being in survivors of sexual assault? Sexual assault has wide-reaching impacts on sexual well-being, and it is important for clinicians to know how to best support this population (Dworkin et al., 2017). Despite its pervasiveness, research on sexual well-being of survivors of sexual violence is limited by inconsistent definitions and emphasis on biological outcomes of sexual health (Mitchell et al., 2021; Pulverman et al., 2018). This paper will review and synthesize recent literature findings which explore this question, and summarize the themes derived from recent studies. From doing so, additional clinical implications and therapeutic recommendations will be explored as they are currently suggested in the literature. Relevant studies were collected from various databases, including the City University library, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. A review of the literature generated significant themes through thematic analysis, and examined key studies for methodological strengths and limitations. Significant findings from this thematic analysis note that the intersection of biological, social, and psychological impacts can impair sexual well-being in a myriad of ways. Recent literature explores behavioural responses to sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and cognitive and affective components of sexual well-being. Through this review, it is clear that there is a paucity of research on the positive and affective components of sexual well-being, such as sexual self-determination, agency, safety, trust, and pleasure. Clinicians can help support survivors of sexual assault through awareness of the intersections of biological, psychological, and social impacts which impair sexual well-being, providing psychoeducation, and engaging in the supported interventions for addressing sexual concerns in survivors of sexual assault.Item How Does Parental Rejection Impact Relational Dynamics in Same-Sex Relationships?(2025-12) Lowe, CharleneEarly parental rejection in childhood influences attachment, romantic satisfaction, and resilience for 2SLGBTQ+ couples. This study aims to bridge the gap in current research and address the needs of minority populations by integrating developmental, emotional, and sociocultural perspectives to understand how family relationships influence adult intimacy. This literature review seeks to answer the guiding question: How do early parental acceptance or rejection experiences affect adult attachment and romantic satisfaction in 2SLGBTQ+ populations? This study employed thematic analysis to code the qualitative data, which supported the development of a conceptual framework and the identification of emergent patterns related to attachment and relationship outcomes. Because thematic coding is a qualitative method, the focus was on interpreting themes rather than on identifying variables, as is characteristic of quantitative research. Research has shown that insecure attachments are associated with reduced relationship satisfaction and well-being, while family acceptance, secure attachment, and resilience promote more positive relational outcomes. Integrating Attachment Theory, Interpersonal Acceptance–Rejection Theory (IPARTheory), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), and Queer Theory provides a multidimensional understanding of how early family experiences and societal factors interact to shape adult relationships. The research shows that therapeutic approaches focused on the 2SLGBTQ+ community need to be implemented into clinical practice that are gender affirming and all-inclusive. The findings highlight the importance of addressing both developmental and sociocultural contexts in promoting resilience and relationship satisfaction among 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.Item Recontextaulizing Cannabis Research(2025-11-19) Theriault, MichaelCannabis is widely consumed among Canadian emerging adults, yet research examining its risks has been fundamentally decontextualized. While studies link specific use patterns to cognitive deficits, psychosis, and cannabis use disorder, they cannot explain why these patterns emerge, for whom they are most harmful, or how life circumstances influence use trajectories. This decontextualization reflects a deliberate historical trajectory spanning colonial epistemologies, racist drug policies, and restricted research paradigms. This literature review traces cannabis history from Ayurvedic medicine through British colonization, which displaced traditional knowledge with Western empirical science, to 20th-century American prohibition and the War on Drugs, which weaponized cannabis policy against minority populations while constraining research to focus exclusively on harms. Contemporary quantitative research successfully identifies risk factors but isolates variables from lived realities. Qualitative research reveals that cannabis use is embedded in personal motivations (self-medication, stress relief), social roles (student, parent), and environmental factors (legalization, COVID-19), yet examines static contexts rather than how these evolve over time. This review argues that understanding how emerging adults' cannabis attitudes and behaviours develop requires a narrative approach capturing use as a dynamic, contextualized process. The proposed study will conduct semi-structured interviews with 20 emerging adults in Calgary, exploring how use patterns emerge and change through shifting contexts. This approach has significant clinical implications, enabling counsellors to situate client cannabis use within lived contexts and develop effective, context-sensitive harm reduction interventions.