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 Understanding Negative Body Image and Its Consequences in Black Women from a Culturally Responsive Lens(2024-10) Arogundade, TomiwaNegative body image in Black women is a critically understudied and misunderstood sociocultural issue that is often viewed from a Eurocentric lens, ignoring the cultural nuances that exist for Black women, which is reflective of the historical and systemic discrimination and erasure that Black women have long faced in North America. This capstone research project utilizes a thematic literature review of peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2024 to investigate how culturally specific factors shape and influence body image and the lived experiences of Black women. This review is guided by the question: How can we better understand body image concerns in Black women to provide culturally responsive counseling and treatment? Key findings reveal that negative body image is developed and influenced in adolescence by parents, family and friends, and for Black women is compounded by factors such as colorism, conflicting Eurocentric and cultural beauty standards, the strong, black woman persona, and media representations that portray Black women in a marginalized, caricatured, and stereotyped way. These culturally nuanced stressors are linked to mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders that are often undiagnosed and untreated due to systemic and cultural barriers, emphasizing the importance of culturally responsive therapeutic practices, community-based interventions, and culturally inclusive frameworks in both research and clinical practice to better understand and address the unique experiences of Black women with body image-related concerns.Item Towards a Holistic Healing Model: Applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome(2025-02-14) Sebastian, SimonaHypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder with a profound biopsychosocial impact, such as chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and social isolation. Despite these significant challenges, research exploring psychotherapeutic interventions for individuals with hEDS is limited. This capstone examines the application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a mindfulness-based cognitive behavioural therapy, to address the psychological burden and enhance resilience for individuals with hEDS. Research findings are drawn from various disciplines, such as medicine, psychology, and counselling, using the biopsychosocial approach as a guiding framework to study the potential application of ACT for people with hEDS. Current literature indicates that people with hEDS experience significant physical, psychological, and social challenges., ACT has been found to be an effective approach for helping people in managing chronic illness. Although no direct studies of ACT and hEDS exist, evidence from related populations demonstrates ACT’s effectiveness in increasing psychological flexibility, reducing distress, and enhancing quality of life. The findings suggest that ACT’s core principles of acceptance, cognitive defusion, mindfulness, and values-based action, align well with the needs of those with hEDS. These insights are synthesized, and recommendations on how to apply ACT in a therapeutic setting for those with hEDS are provided. Further, ethical considerations are addressed, and areas for future research are identified. This study contributes to the understanding of hEDS by offering a holistic and evidence-based perspective that paves the way for future research into ACT’s efficacy for hEDS.Item Supporting Our Youngest Learners: The Need and Benefit of Elementary School Counsellors(2024-08) Cattermole, DianaMental illness is on the rise worldwide and British Columbia is no different. More children with mental illness go untreated than those who are lucky enough to receive support. Access to mental health support is a huge barrier for many families for various reasons, such as wait lists, cost, and even physical location and time constraints. When children are struggling with mental illness, it affects their ability to learn, to socialize, and to regulate. This often is more apparent in a school setting. There are also children who do not present as having a mental illness as they are exhibiting internalizing behaviours and are often overlooked for support because their behaviour is not extreme. The current system is set up as a downstream or reactionary one, only providing support once a child is in crisis. Early intervention, or an upstream approach, is key to preventing more serious mental illness or comorbidities as the child moves through adolescence and later into adulthood. The long-term benefits to society in general far outweigh the initial investment. Elementary school counsellors are able to provide this early intervention. Their role is to support school staff and administration in developing a comprehensive school counselling program unique to that school. They have a direct impact on school culture through collaboration with staff, supporting staff with social emotional learning, and to promote mental health by normalizing help seeking and reduce the stigma around mental illness. The sooner we can support our youngest learners in a setting they spend most of their time in, we are able to access many of those students who are at risk or marginalized, and who often need mental health support the most. The time to invest in our youngest learners is now.Item Father-Daughter Attachment: The Evolving Understanding of Fatherhood and Its Relevance in Raising Daughters(2024-10-31) Howard, JesseParenting today can be a stressful endeavour, yet the literature has demonstrated limited expansion of our understanding of the importance of fatherhood. Gender-specific insights have begun to distinguish specific outcomes for parents and children that support an evolving understanding of the implications of fathering daughters. This paper, therefore, relies on a literature review to answer the question, "What are the implications of our evolving understanding of fatherhood for raising daughters?" This research paper evaluated recent literature and identified an historically negative perception and neglectful social attitude toward the significance of fathers. Through the lens of attachment theory, the researcher found that prioritising healthy and secure father-daughter attachment patterning enhances the social benefits to individuals and families. In addition is the need for better-informed support for future and established fathers to improve the mental health of fathers. Overall, this literature review illuminates our understanding of fatherhood and masculinity as it pertains to raising daughters within an attachment perspective. Equipped with this knowledge, clinicians can promote gender equality in parenting outcomes by advocating for policy changes such as guaranteed and dedicated paternal leave that supplements current maternal and parental leave structures and accommodates flexible work arrangements for fathers. Promoting engaged fatherhood and parenting equality is shown to be especially impactful in marginalised families. Recommended clinical supports include exploration through an attachment lens of abandonment wounds and insecurities while promoting secure relationship patterns for fathers and daughters. A framework for an attachment-focused group support for fathers and daughters is also offered.Item Comparing the Effectiveness of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) and Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT): Improving Attachment Security in Preschool Children who Have Faced Relational Trauma(2024-12-16) Torgersen, HunterThis capstone will focus on the effects of relational trauma on preschool children's attachment. Following a review of the literature on the topic will be a discussion on the benefits and shortcomings of both child centered play therapy (CCPT) and cognitive behavioural play therapy (CBPT). A comparison will be done to examine the different approaches regarding improving attachment security for this population. The research question being explored is: is CCPT or CBPT more effective in improving attachment security in preschool children who have faced relational trauma? The area of research will delve into the topics of relational trauma in children, how attachment is developed, the challenges in relationships for children after trauma, and comparative therapeutic options for these children. The research found on these topics will then be brought together to provide guidance on the research question at hand. The literature review suggested that the most significant difference between CCPT and CBPT for addressing attachment and relational trauma is the aim of a directive or child led approach. If a client is needing emphasis on a healthy relationship, then CCPT may be more effective. If the child is needing structure and direction, CBPT may be more beneficial. There are positives and negatives to each method, and it is up to the therapist to decide where their competence lies and what their client needs.