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 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).Item Bridging Gaps in Perinatal Mental Health: Exploring Care for Postpartum Depression(2025-02) Kao, AnniePostpartum depression can be a serious concern for new families and parents. Many families face marginalized care and support during this challenging period. Using the Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory and Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory as guiding frameworks, this capstone examines how systemic factors, including socioeconomic status, cultural identity, and access to healthcare, intersect to shape the postpartum experiences of individuals. By exploring current evidence in research and literature reviews, the capstone will investigate the various risk and protective factors that influence the postpartum experience. The capstone will also explore various evidence-based treatment interventionss to identify a multidisciplinary approach to perinatal mental health care. Implications for the review, limitations, recommendations and future research are discussed, aiming to enhance equity and accessibility in perinatal mental health support across diverse populations.Item Re-Authoring the Narrative: An Investigation into Narrative Therapy’s Impact on the Mental Health Healing of Women Who Have Experienced Domestic Violence(2024-11) Hancock, MylesThis capstone project explores the literature on narrative therapy and its impact on the mental health healing of women who have experienced domestic violence. Violence against women continues to be a problem in society. As the patriarchal modern society continues to colonize and normalize abuse and neglect women’s rights, clinical research continues its attention on reporting data that shows women experiencing chronic intimate partner and family violence. Women who experience such types of domestic violence can have lasting mental health struggles. However, the current literature has mixed evidence on what may be best for treatment. Narrative therapy aims to externalize the problematic narratives in a client’s life and empower them to find their desired story. Therefore, there is a clinical curiosity about the state of the literature on using narrative therapy in this clinical population. A literature review yielded ten qualitative, two quantitative, and one case conceptualization study on the relevant topic. Three primary themes emerged, with narrative stories showing resistance to domestic violence, the cultural variation in women's experiences with narrative therapy, and the pathways of re-authoring stories away from abuse. The results summary and clinical applications are discussed, with potential future directions and concluding statements.Item Mental Health Practitioners Who Work With Immigrant Clients and Interpreters(2024-11) Ayyash, MohammadDeveloped countries such as Canada have a growing number of immigrants, many of whom encounter mental health challenges and usually face barriers to accessing mental health services because of their limited English proficiency, which necessitates the use of interpreters. In this study the author addressed the impact of the presence of interpreters on the therapeutic process in working with immigrant clients. Utilising the Campinha-Bacote model of cultural competency as a framework, the author conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) and drew on seven electronic databases (EBSCO, JSTOR, Francis Online Mental Health and Social Care Collection, Google Scholar, Mendeley Taylor, ProQuest, and PubMed) to identify relevant journal articles from 2017 to 2024. A total of 19 peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings are organised into five major themes: communication, interpreter role, therapeutic alliance, emotional impact, and training and support. The results indicate that the presence of an interpreter significantly impacts the therapeutic process and presents both opportunities and challenges. Interpreters can enhance communication and cultural understanding and facilitate therapeutic alliances, but they can also present complexities related to communication challenges, role dynamics, triadic relationship challenges, and emotional burdens. The study underscores the need for psychotherapists and interpreters to receive training and support to address these challenges effectively. Furthermore, psychotherapists must have cultural-competency skills and adopt culturally sensitive approaches in their interpreter-mediated psychotherapy. The recommendations include future research to focus on standardised training for practitioners and interpreters and further investigate the long-term effects of interpreter-mediated psychotherapy on treatment outcomes.Item The Lived Experiences of South Asian Adult-Child Caregivers to Parents with Dementia Living in Western Nations(2025-12-01) Natt, KiranThis capstone has found that while there are some positive elements to providing care to a parent with dementia within South Asian communities in Western countries, it is also a role that comes with many challenges. The caregivers face various systemic barriers related to medical systems, culture, religion, and language when trying to access external support. A cultural expectation of filial duty to care for one’s parent in old age without help can also act as a barrier to seeking support. These barriers leave adult children in a position of taking on most of the care on their own. Minimal awareness of dementia within South Asian communities leaves caregivers struggling to learn about it while trying to adopt a new way of life. Caregivers often do not open up because of the ignorance, stigma, and shame surrounding dementia and the social pressure to be self-sufficient. This can prevent them from opening up to family and friends about what they are going through. The hardships ultimately result in decreased mental wellbeing for South Asian adult-child caregivers which warrant the need for mental health support specific to these populations.