CityU Scholarly Work (Open Access)
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Contains open access scholarly work from City University of Seattle students, faculty, and staff.
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Item Mental Health Benefits of Stripping for Sex Workers And Therapeutic Implications(2025-01) Jade, TempestThe goal of this capstone is to both explore and propose the mental health benefits of stripping. Gaps in research will be addressed by putting forward valuable input based on personal experience, emerging studies and sex worker community collaboration. A brief look at North American colonial history rooted in systems of oppression sets the foundation for understanding the problem of why negative beliefs about women who engage in stripping have been perpetuated across centuries. In the literature review, an analysis of recent empirical research and psychological literature about sex workers underscores the field's focus on unhelpful pathology and stigma. A critique is made of inaccurate, biased research that has compounded over time, highlighting the need for resilience-focused research informed by stripper and sex worker participation and meaningful consultation. The result in chapter 3 is a bold redefining of stripping through its experienced mental health benefits compiled by an award-winning stripper with 20 years in the industry along with contributions from sex worker colleagues. The proposed benefits of stripping may be employed as an educational resource to inform counsellors, future researchers, the larger field of psychology and anyone seeking to be a sex worker ally, including pole dance hobbyists. Implications for counsellors working with this population are provided towards clinical practice that is anti-oppressive, grounded in client-centered care and sex worker advocacy.Item Postpartum Depression: A Solution-Focused Alternative(2024-09-20) Slator, CorrineMaternal postpartum depression (PPD) can result in significant mental health challenges and there are limitations to the current methods of psychotherapy to treat this disorder. This capstone seeks to identify whether solution-focused therapy (SFT) could be a viable alternative to treating PPD, primarily through a literature review conducted via Google Scholar and the City University of Seattle in Canada and Athabasca University research databases. This capstone presents an overview of PPD and the associated risk factors. It evaluates primary modalities for PPD treatment in terms of effectiveness, explores prevailing barriers, and examines research on SFT for depressive disorders and PPD. This capstone fills a gap in the limited research about SFT for PPD to demonstrate how SFT can be applied to treat PPD in the postnatal period. It recommends further research to confirm the efficacy of SFT for PPD and provides clinical recommendations for research-informed practice.Item Practices that Facilitate the Experience of Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) for Therapists working with Clients who Have Complex Trauma(2024-12-17) Janik, AngelicaThis literature review introduces the emerging concept of post-traumatic growth (PTG) in contrast to the extensively studied post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD has been the focal point in trauma research, PTG is gaining recognition for its potential to transform negative experiences into positive growth. This review explores PTG through the theoretical lens of Polyvagal Theory, with additional insights from resilience portfolios, poly-strengths, and ecological systems theory. The review examines the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and complex trauma on long-term health and psychological well-being, highlighting the gaps in research related to PTG. By synthesizing existing studies and identifying limitations in the current literature, I aim to provide mental health practitioners with strategies through my interpretation of facilitating PTG among individuals who have experienced complex trauma. Ultimately, the paper seeks to enhance therapeutic practices and contribute to the broader field of counseling psychology by offering a new perspective on fostering resilience and growth in the face of adversity.Item Family Therapy for High Conflict Divorce/Separation(2025-03-10) Moens, MarissaThe divorce process often involves complex issues such as an exacerbation of mental health symptoms, attachment insecurities, communication breakdown, and internalizing and externalizing behaviours in children (O’Hara et al., 2019). This capstone explores how family therapies can support recovery, improve parenting, and strengthen parent-child relationships in the aftermath of high conflict separation/divorce (HCS/D). It explores what defines HCS/D, its impact on parenting, and the impact of interparental conflict on children and adolescents. Through an attachment theory lens, this paper addresses difficult concepts such as parental alienation and explores how family therapy models offer interventions to navigate HCS/D. Finally, this capstone presents a professional development workshop for school counsellors. The findings in the capstone will hopefully encourage therapists to incorporate systemic therapies, working with as many family members as possible in high conflict divorce/separation cases to provide holistic and wrap around support for parents and children.Item Narrative Play: Using Tabletop Role-Playing Games for the Cognitive and Emotional Development of Diverse Populations(2025-02-05) Mori, FoxIn this thematic literature review the author explores how tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) can be a suitable tool for improving the social and emotional skills of various populations of clients. The utilisation of TRPGs reduces the symptoms of social anxiety, improves social connectedness, and enhances emotional resilience. The research on whether virtual or in person TRPG sessions are more effective is mixed, because the researchers conducted their studies during the Covid 19 pandemic; thus, the results vary depending on the circumstances. Grounded in Yalom's (1970) group therapy framework and Bandura and Walters’s (1963) social cognitive theory, this capstone highlights that TRPGs can improve interpersonal skills, motivation, and engagement from adolescence to older adulthood. The findings suggest that TRPGs create a structured yet flexible atmosphere in which the participants feel safe, accepted, and comfortable with taking risks in a low-stakes environment to practise social interactions, develop problem-solving abilities, and engage in the co creation of narratives. Additionally, current research has suggested that TRPGs can increase intrinsic motivation and might be a suitable alternative for individuals who do not engage in traditional forms of therapy. However, the literature also reflected potential limitations, including safety concerns, the necessity of skilled facilitation, and ethical considerations with regard to fantasy-reality distinctions. The implications for practice include the need to develop a structured, regulated facilitation training, which did not exist at the time of this research. Future researchers should explore the longitudinal impacts and standardisation models to strengthen the empirical basis for therapeutically applied role-playing games (TA RPGs).