The National University System Repository exists to increase public access to research and other materials created by students and faculty of the affiliate institutions of National University System. Most items in the repository are open access, freely available to everyone.
Recent Submissions
Item How does Social Anxiety Affect Adolescents?(2025-05-26)This capstone project explores the impact of social anxiety on adolescents and offers practical, school-based recommendations to support affected students. Grounded in Cognitive Behavioural Theory, Self-Determination Theory, and Labelling Theory, the study examines how social anxiety influences academic performance, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships. This article puts school counsellors' rich efforts towards stigma reduction and mental health literacy development into the limelight through evidence-based practices such as peer mentoring programs, mindfulness training, and widespread curriculum infusion. Special attention is placed on the lived experience of marginalized youth who face systematic barriers in accessing mental health services. Through student leader empowerment, staff training, and family engagement, schools can create caring communities where mental health is the norm, and help is an arm's length away. The project concludes with recommendations on creating inclusive, stigma-free learning environments promoting students' well-being and resilience.Item Ambiguous Loss in Familial Caregivers: Exploring Meaning Making to Increase Resiliency(2025-05-20)In Western society there has been a socially acceptable grief process that follows a death-related loss. This capstone reviewed non-death loss in relation to familial caregivers and looked at ways counsellors can support familial caregivers experiencing ambiguous loss. Ambiguous loss has been observed in response to a loved one with a diagnosis where they are still physically present but face psychological and mental complexities impacting the relationship dynamic for the caregiver and future the caregiver had imagined and expected. The grief appears as a result of emotionally losing parts of their loved one, which has not been commonly recognized or acknowledged as loss within our society. The research from these findings has pointed to the use of meaning-making to support family members experiencing a non-death loss. Findings have shown that meaning-making can be developed through support groups utilising interventions such as re-storying, creative writing, and a resilience-oriented approach to increase resiliency and support the grief process of an ambiguous loss. This capstone has studied the many ways in which counsellors can work with ambiguous loss to better recognize and acknowledge types of living loss and the grief that follows. This awareness can increase responses counsellors have and reduce the isolation and shame that those experiencing a living loss often face through both identifying and validating the loss and supporting the client to find meaning in their experience.Item The Research Design and Methodology Workflow Manual for Doctoral Students(2025)In the ever-evolving landscape of higher education, the ability to conduct rigorous and meaningful research is both a foundational skill and a transformative journey for doctoral students. As academic disciplines become increasingly interdisciplinary and data-driven, the need for accessible, structured, and pedagogically sound guidance has never been more urgent. This Open Educational Resource (OER), The Research Design and Methodology Workflow Manual for Doctoral Students, answers that need with clarity, purpose, and innovation. Supported by a grant from National University, this project reflects a commitment to academic equity, excellence, and student empowerment. By removing barriers to essential research resources, this manual democratizes knowledge and provides a roadmap for students navigating the complex stages of the doctoral research process— from identifying a research problem to selecting appropriate methodologies, aligning theoretical frameworks, and executing ethical, evidence-based inquiry. Designed with both novice and experienced researchers in mind, this manual offers step-by-step workflows, real-world examples, and decision-making tools that align with current scholarly expectations. Whether used as a primary learning tool, a supplemental guide, or a reference during dissertation development, it encourages critical thinking, methodological precision, and scholarly integrity. We are proud to present this OER as a living document—one that will continue to evolve in response to the changing needs of doctoral students and the broader academic community. We thank National University for its generous support, and we invite educators, mentors, and students alike to explore, adapt, and contribute to this collaborative resource.Item Counselling Clients with Chronic Pain(2025-05)This capstone explores the evolving role of counsellors in the interdisciplinary treatment of chronic pain within a biopsychosocial (BPS) framework. Despite growing empirical support for the BPS model as best practice in pain care, its application in clinical settings remains inconsistent. This paper investigates whether counsellors, through expanded training, particularly in pain neuroscience education (PNE), could broaden their scope of practice to contribute more effectively to pain management. It examines current gaps between evidence and practice, challenges in access and delivery of care, and the need for more integrated, person-centered approaches. Emphasis is placed on the counsellor's unique position to address the complex psychological and social dimensions of chronic pain, to promote coherence in interdisciplinary care teams and to respond to the need for more effective approaches to managing the problem of pain in society.Item Self-Esteem and Academic Engagement of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities(2025-04)Adolescents with learning disabilities (LDs) face significant challenges that affect their self-esteem, academic engagement, and social and emotional well-being. These challenges stem largely from systemic barriers, such as poor pedagogical design that fail to accommodate diverse learning needs, lack of educator knowledge and training, and difficulties in social support. This capstone investigates the intricate relationship between self-esteem and academic engagement in adolescents with LDs. It explores how self-esteem impact academic engagement of adolescents with LDs, as well as their psychosocial and emotional development. A school-based group counseling program is proposed to address the academic, social, and emotional needs of adolescents with LDs, aiming to increase both their self-esteem and academic engagement.
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