Prevalence of Domestic Violence and Mental Health Symptoms among South Asian women in the United States

This study examines the prevalence of domestic violence, mental health outcomes and help-seeking behaviors among a cross section of 155 South Asians that participated in an anonymous survey. The findings indicate that 31% of the participants experienced some form of domestic violence; physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse and about 88% of those abused experienced emotional abuse. Results indicate that the abused participants experienced mental health symptoms of sleeplessness, frequent crying spells, panic, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, high stress, bouts of uncontrollable anger and loneliness. The results emphasize culturally sensitive services that address domestic violence as well as mental health symptoms should be made available and accessible to South Asians in the United States of America

Clinical Bias: Do Counselors' Perceptions of Prostitution Impact Their Work?

Thesis advisor: David L. BlusteinThis study focused on the assessment of counselor perceptions of prostitution and the examination of how perceptions influence counselors' clinical judgments. The preliminary study involved the development of Counselor Perceptions of Prostitution Scale (CPPS) designed to assess counselors' attitudes towards prostitution. The items developed based on the debate in the literature between those who view prostitution as social oppression and inherently traumatizing, and those who believe that prostitution is a self-determined career path were administered to seventy-two counselors-in-training. The measure demonstrated high internal consistency reliability (α = 0.87), had a significant negative correlation (r = -.68) with the Attitudes towards Prostitution Scale (ATPS) and exploratory factor analysis yielded a unidimensional scale. In the final study, three brief clinical vignettes were used to manipulate the variable of client's engagement in prostitution. Each vignette comprised of a client seeking services for depression while engaging in prostitution, selling marijuana, or working in a department store. One hundred and ninety-eight mental health providers rated their empathy, attribution of responsibility for the cause of and solution to the problem, assessment of client's functioning, and willingness to work with the client in response to the vignette assigned. They also completed CPPS and ATPS. Data was analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and canonical correlation analysis (CCA). Overall, results of the MANOVA revealed that empathy was the most significant contributor to the difference between conditions. Contrary to prediction, there was no difference in empathy for the client engaging in prostitution versus the client working overtime at the department store. However, counselors' demonstrated lower levels of empathy for the client selling marijuana. The CCA revealed that in response to the prostitution vignette, counselors who viewed prostitution as inherently traumatizing and also held accurate beliefs about prostitution were likely to be more empathic and attribute less personal responsibility to the client for solving her own problems. Limitations of this study and implications for counselor practice, education, and future research are discussed.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology

Spiritual and Religious Issues in Psychotherapy with Schizophrenia: Cultural Implications and Implementation

The topics of spirituality and psychotherapy have often been controversial in the literature on schizophrenia treatment. However, current research indicates many potential benefits of integrating issues of religion and spirituality into psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia. In this paper, implications are presented for incorporating spiritual and religious issues in psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia. A background on the integration of spirituality into the practice of psychotherapy is discussed. The literature on spiritually-oriented psychotherapy for schizophrenia is provided. Clinical implications are offered with specific attention to issues of religious delusions and cultural considerations. Lastly, steps for implementing spiritually-oriented psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia are delineated to assist providers in carrying out spiritually sensitive care