A Descriptive Phenomenological Study of Body Art Patients and Their Health Care Experience

This study aimed to update dated research by exploring the relationships between patients with body art (tattoos and body piercings) and their interaction with health care providers. This creates a current description of the body art patient’s health care experience. Previous research indicates that body art has been associated with risk taking and deviant behaviors and these behaviors have been used to justify why people with body art are negatively perceived. If the presence of body art and the associated behavior are viewed as a threat to normalcy, then Stangor and Crandall’s theory (2000) suggests that stigma may surround the body art population. Health care providers may have developed attitudes perceived by this population if stigma does exist. A descriptive phenomenological methodology was used to explore the perception of the lived experience of the body art patient. Participants who had body art and who had interactions with the health care providers were interviewed using open-ended semi-structured questions. To ensure trustworthiness the interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) method. Interviews occurred with 12 participants, with two overarching themes and three essences within each theme discovered. All described their tattoos as a deeply personal artistic representation of who they are and all shared they felt stigma, the two overarching themes. Even though health care access and quality were not affected, several participants stated having negative experiences with health care providers that they perceived were related to their body art. The findings suggest that the body art patient’s health care experience may be enhanced with provider recognition that an individual’s body art is both deeply meaningful and an important form of identity

Creationism and evolution

In Tower of Babel, Robert Pennock wrote that “defenders of evolution would help their case immeasurably if they would reassure their audience that morality, purpose, and meaning are not lost by accepting the truth of evolution.” We first consider the thesis that the creationists’ movement exploits moral concerns to spread its ideas against the theory of evolution. We analyze their arguments and possible reasons why they are easily accepted. Creationists usually employ two contradictive strategies to expose the purported moral degradation that comes with accepting the theory of evolution. On the one hand they claim that evolutionary theory is immoral. On the other hand creationists think of evolutionary theory as amoral. Both objections come naturally in a monotheistic view. But we can find similar conclusions about the supposed moral aspects of evolution in non-religiously inspired discussions. Meanwhile, the creationism-evolution debate mainly focuses — understandably — on what constitutes good science. We consider the need for moral reassurance and analyze reassuring arguments from philosophers. Philosophers may stress that science does not prescribe and is therefore not immoral, but this reaction opens the door for the objection of amorality that evolution — as a naturalistic world view at least — supposedly endorses. We consider that the topic of morality and its relation to the acceptance of evolution may need more empirical research

A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Parents of Young Children with Autism Receiving Special Education Services

Over the past two decades reported rates of autism have steadily risen. The current incidence is 1 in 68 children. While autism can be reliably diagnosed at 18 months in most children with the condition, specialized autism treatment rarely begins before a child\u27s third or fourth birthday. As screening and diagnosis procedures improve so does the need for effective early interventions for autism. Researchers and professionals have expressed a growing concern over the need for effective early interventions for infants and toddlers with autism. At the same time, there is a dearth of qualitative research exploring the needs and experiences of parents with a very young child with autism. Employing a phenomenological framework, the purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of parents of a young child with autism receiving early special education services. Unstructured interviews and photo elicitation were used to generate rich, detailed descriptions of the phenomenon. Data analysis from photographic images and narrative dialogues illuminated six essential themes across participants: (a) parents as pioneers: forging the way for future families; (b) making the journey as a family; (c) navigating uncharted service systems; (d) overcoming challenges and obstacles; (e) resilience, ingenuity and hope; and (f) reflecting on the first three years and looking forward. Participants expressed that they felt this study gave them a voice in the research literature. This study is one of the first to investigate the lived experiences of parents as they seek and secure autism services for their child under five with autism

PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY IN RELATION TO THE EXISTENCE OF HUMAN BEING

The analysis of mental disorders necessarily requires careful and multilayered reflection. Psychiatry is indeed focused on complex phenomena and symptoms that can be only partly traced back to merely quantitative objectifiable data. This is the reason why we witness a growing methodological and conceptual \u201cmutual enlightenment\u201d between philosophy and psychiatry. Whereas philosophy offers notions that can help to take into account also the qualitative aspects and the lived experiences of pathologies, clinical psychiatry seems to represent one of the most relevant practical fields for philosophy to test its explan- atory capacity in relation to its many important issues. The history of phenomenological psychopathology, in particular, shows that philosophers have demonstrated a keen interest in the practical consequences of these issues in the field of clinical psychopathology

The Experience of Music Therapists Working with the Parents of Premature Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

This study explored the lived experience of music therapists working with parents of premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While there are many studies regarding the effects of music therapy on parents and premature infants in the NICU, few in-depth qualitative studies focus on the experiences and perspectives of music therapists working in the NICU. The present study aims to explore music therapists’ experiences of working with the parents of premature infants in the NICU and their perspectives on how music therapy can meet the needs of these parents. Data were collected through audio-video recording and transcription of semistructured interviews. The data were analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) modification of van Kaam’s method of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings consisted of six common themes across participants: (a) witnessing parents’ difficulties and providing support, (b) music therapy advocacy, (c) serving as a bridge between parents and their babies, (d) utilizing various interventions, (e) mediating between parents and medical staff, and (f) setting boundaries. These common themes explored music therapists’ experiences and supported the need to recognize the roles and challenges of music therapists working in the NICU

The Lived Experience Of Rural CTE Teachers As Members Of The Secondary Education Teaching Corps

The secondary education system in the United States provides the opportunity for students to earn a high school diploma in preparation for post-secondary college and career. These students are taught by certified high school teachers with similar pedagogy but deliver instruction in different content areas. This qualitative study was conducted to understand how rural CTE high school teachers describe their lived experience of being a member of the secondary education teaching corps. Guided by two research questions that ask (1) how rural CTE teachers describe their teacher professional identity and (2) how rural CTE teachers characterize the role of vocational training in secondary education, the study used transcendental phenomenology as a methodology to explicate data collected through semi-structured interviews of six certified rural CTE high school teachers. The explication process followed Moustakas’ (1994) modification of the van Kaam method of analysis of phenomenological data. From the development of individual textural-structural descriptions of the phenomenon, a composite synthesis of data resulted in a description of the essences and meanings of the experience of teacher professional identity by the participant group. These findings indicate rural CTE high school teachers exhibit attributes of Teacher Professional Identity and Teacher Agency in their lived experience as a secondary education teacher

The Lived Experiences Of General Education Teachers\u27 Consultative Interactions With Special Education Team Members: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe general education teachers’ lived experiences of consultative interactions with special education team members in an urban school in New England. Information regarding desired outcomes of consultation as well as general education teacher-identified outcomes was explored. The theory that guided this study was the collaboration theory identified by Lee Vygotsky, which details the benefit of collaboration with others to gain knowledge of a task or process using a partnership to support a deeper understanding. A sample of 10 general education teachers provided their perspectives on consultation with special education team members. This phenomenon was examined through interviews, journal entries, and document analysis of consultation notes and meeting minutes. A transcendental phenomenological methodology was utilized to understand and synthesize the data describing teachers’ lived experiences of consultative interactions with special education team members. The results of this study indicated the general education teachers value consultation and collaboration with special education team members. The teachers also identified factors that strengthen consultation and present barriers to effective consultation. Finally, general education teachers provided ideas for improvement of consultation and collaboration within their school

Final practicum report: child and youth mental health

Through my practicum, I explored the role of a child and youth mental health clinician (CYMH) while also expanding and adapting my clinical skills and therapeutic modalities. Early childhood development and trauma have shown to have tremendous influence over the onset of future mental health concerns, while epigenetics and biology also play a key role in the development of potential neurological disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and Expressive Arts Therapy were investigated within the realm of mental health. These modalities are actively used as therapeutic tools within CYMH. This practicum report expands on the role of trauma within mental health, exploring holistic approaches such as Expressive Arts Therapy and meditation in concurrence with CBT and MBSR to facilitate deeper understanding of a person’s narrative through their own creative and subjective experience. While pharmacology helps keep symptomology at a baseline, it is the coping and regulation tools that are needed to help a person navigate their own internal processes and stress modulation in order to achieve post-traumatic growth

Opportunities for Deer Lodge, Tennessee: Community Development and Land Stewardship by a Collaborative Learning Community Group

This study describes an action research inquiry into my practice as a collaborative learning community group facilitator. The Deer Lodge Community Group of private landowners, natural resource professionals and community stakeholders, met monthly to address natural resource and community issues of concern. I facilitated these meetings through the frame of collaborative learning with attention to its elements of dialogue, co-construction, multiple ways of knowing, cycles of action and reflection, place, and fellowship. My intentions were to foster group interactions that acknowledge the significance of lived experience, orient interactions and information transfers towards democratic and participatory exchanges, and create a network of resources for learning and evaluating options for land management. In order to inquire into the experience of the Deer Lodge Community Group, I collected qualitative data in the form of interviews, field notes, and reflective journaling. Experiential themes for community members and stakeholders reflected positive outcomes in terms of relationship building. Community members experienced the group as allowing disparate groups to come together to learn, interact, and see their community in a new way, while lacking structure and direction. Community stakeholders, who saw their own roles as that of outside resources, perceived the group as lacking a unifying focus. Field notes, reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews supported these themes. My study indicates that I was successful in achieving my goal of enabling group members to engage with each other in new and productive ways, to learn about each other and their community, and to develop new visions for the community and the larger region. Some group members, however, held additional goals of achieving specific actions which were not met. This inquiry points to changes in my practice of a natural resources collaborative learning community group facilitator

Developing individualized education programs with culturally and linguistically diverse families from low-income homes : a heuristic inquiry of special education teachers

Research shows evidence of overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse children enrolled in special education services, a positive correlation between parent involvement and academic success, and a plethora of barriers impeding active 6 parent participation in IEP development. Barriers include language, culture, low income, . and school climate and team dynamics. The aim of this study was to explore: (a) In what ways do special education teachers engage with culturally and linguistically diverse families from low-income homes in the IEP development process? (b) In what ways do special education teachers address culturally and linguistically diverse children\u27s educational needs while also addressing both legal and workplace expectations? (c) In what ways do special education teachers develop IEPs with culturally and linguistically diverse families from low-income homes addressing both legal and workplace expectations? These questions were addressed qualitatively utilizing Moustakas\u27s heuristic inquiry. Deductively exploring themes using Lipsky\u27s street-level bureaucracy framework exposed challenges special education teachers in this study had addressing both legal and workplace expectations, such as meeting IDEA 2004 mandates. With a systems theory approach, themes and subthemes were identified as being interconnected. Power imbalances between stakeholders and socioeconomic differences across families appeared to be the most prolific barriers impeding parent participation. Inductive analysis explored emergent and uncovered themes elucidating what it meant to be a special education teacher