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Healthy Lifestyles Project - Kristen Abraham
During my clinical-community placement at the psychosocial rehabilitation clubhouse, a number of members initiated informal
conversations with me regarding their desire for opportunities to improve their physical health. Members reported that they
would like to improve their health and fitness, but that a lack of money and a lack of knowledge were barriers to doing so.
Kathleen Young, a graduate student in clinical psychology whose academic interests are in reducing obesity and promoting health,
and I designed a multi-component health and fitness program to address members’ physical health needs; Dr. Stein supervised
this project. This community intervention was entitled, The Healthy Lifestyles Project.
The Healthy Lifestyles Project consisted of health education sessions, potluck dinners, a walking program, and a “library” of health resources. The health
education sessions were provided monthly and were conducted by members of the community and/or BGSU. The monthly potluck
dinners enabled members to educate themselves and share with each other new nutritional information in a social environment.
The walking program presented members with an opportunity for group exercise two times per week; this provided structure,
motivation, and accountability for meeting exercise goals. The Healthy Lifestyles “Library” allowed members to check out and
use multiple materials and resources that will aid them in reaching their health-related goals. A grant from BGSU’s Partnerships
for Community Action and Center for Innovative and Transformative Education (PCA/CITE) funded this project.
This project began in February 2007 and lasted through September 2007. Baseline, four-month and seven-month data was collected
to examine changes in a number of variables, including physical health, mental health, recovery, and social networks.
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The Center Stage Players - David Faigin
During my clinical-community practicum placement at a local psychosocial rehabilitation clubhouse for people with serious
mental illness I got to know members who were interested in theatre and acting. I facilitated the coming together of a group
of clubhouse members who wanted to put on a play. The production addressed hospitalization, stigma, family and recovery,
and was a great success. The play sparked an interest in creating an ongoing weekly group at the center focused on acting
and creating more performances. Taking on the role of facilitator/director I worked to create a setting with shared leadership
roles, and a flexible structure. Inclusion and creative exploration remain the core focus of the group.
Since members first came together in 2004 the group has established itself as a theatre troupe separate from the clubhouse
and named itself The Center Stage Players. The troupe has had 15 members over time, and is always open to newcomers who want to take part. The Players have performed
several original works to date that address such issues as stigma, balancing physical and mental health, and family relationships.
The troupe is currently focused on developing a scripted full-length play and finding a rehearsal space outside the setting
of the community mental health center.
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Effect of Injecting Drug Users’ HIV Status and Treatment Providers’ Health Attitudes on Acceptance of Harm Reduction Interventions
- Erin E. Bonar
Traditional treatments for substance abuse are effective for some individuals, but do not bring about total abstinence from
drugs for all individuals entering treatment. As an alternative, the harm reduction philosophy of treatment and prevention
maintains that abstinence is the healthiest outcome goal, but it accepts the fact that many people will use drugs and that
it is unlikely that all users will abstain (Marlatt, 1996). Harm reduction relies on prevention and educational efforts to
reduce the unhealthy consequences for the individual and society resulting from drug use. Harm reduction behaviors include
cleaning needles with bleach for the purpose of sterilization, needle exchange programs, safer injecting facilities, muscling
to reduce the risk of overdose (i.e., injecting into muscle rather than the vein), injecting “taster shots” to test the effects
of drugs before injecting a full dose, and limited/reduced drug use.
My current project seeks to understand some of the factors that may influence substance abuse treatment providers’ acceptance
of harm reduction interventions for injecting drug users (IDUs). Such factors include the client demographic characteristics
(e.g., age, race/ethnicity, gender), other client characteristics (e.g., HIV status, employment status, previous treatment
attempts, psychiatric history), and treatment providers’ psychological/attitudinal variables (e.g., attitudes toward the mentally
ill, attitudes toward health). Specifically, this project asks treatment providers to read a vignette about a fictitious
IDU and then rate the value of traditional treatment interventions (e.g., self-help groups, group therapy) and harm reduction
interventions (e.g., cleaning needles with bleach, muscling). Participants also complete a measure of their health attitudes
and their health locus of control so that I can examine the relationship between these attitudes and acceptance of harm reduction.
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Mental Health Reforms and Consumer Perspectives - Shinakee Gumber
My particular area of clinical interest is in the area of serious mental illness. In my current research I am tracing the
trajectories of the major mental health movements over the past 5 decades in terms of their overarching philosophy, policies
and the services that they offered and also how they dealt with the problem of serious mental illness. For each movement I
am also trying to understand and delineate the shortcomings and problems that were encountered in implementation and execution
phases. Concurrently, I will also be looking at narratives of people suffering from schizophrenia. These narratives are in
the form of first person accounts published in a peer reviewed scientific journal called the Schizophrenia Bulletin. I will
be perusing these accounts to see if the voices, needs and concerns and the life circumstances of these individuals found
commensurate space in the reforms that the various metal health movements were trying to institute. I am hoping that this
line of research will help in some way towards the realization that a more inclusive and symbiotic relationship needs to be
forged between the mental health professional community and its target clientele.
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Young Adults’ Felt Obligation Towards Their Divorced Parents - Christine McAuliffe
The current study examines the reports of felt obligation towards parents in a sample of 208 young adults from divorced families.
Felt obligation has been defined as set of expectations for appropriate behavior as perceived within the context of specific,
personal relationships with family members across the lifespan (Stein, 1992, p. 527). Reports of felt obligation will be
examined as a function of participant gender, context of divorce (e.g., length of time since the divorce, who initiated the
divorce, custody and living arrangements after the divorce, whether or not parents remarried), type of parent (mother, father), and perceptions of parental affection (e.g., current view of parental relationships, current
contact with parents). Relationships between reports of felt obligation and aspects of personal well-being will also be examined.
To place young adults’ reports of felt obligation within a larger context, levels of felt obligation will be compared to reports
of felt obligation toward parents obtained from a separate sample of young adults from intact families.
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The Experience of Spiritual Struggle in Adult Children of Parents with Serious Mental Illness - Aleisha Pfaff
Young adults with a parent with serious mental illness are a population that is under-represented in empirical research studies,
especially with regard to giving these people a voice about their experiences. This population is especially under-represented
in the psychology of religion literature, specifically the empirical research on spiritual struggle.
My project is designed to give voice to young adults with a parent with serious mental illness through qualitative analyses.
Specifically, this project asks these young adults to share their experiences growing up and coping with a parent with serious
mental illness. This study also seeks to assess participants’ spiritual/religious journeys and any spiritual struggle they
may have faced as a result of coping with a parent with serious mental illness.
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An Empowering Community: Lessons from DeafBlogLand - Alex Spencer
A study is underway investigating how the Deaf community serves as an empowering resource to its members. A reflection of
this community exists on the Internet, represented by vocal members communicating what they deem important through personal
blogs. To gain an understanding of the community as a resource for empowerment, these first-hand accounts will be analyzed
for features that support the positive identity of Deaf people and encourage pride, gratitude and power in what most people
outside the Deaf community view as a disability.
Eight blogs that have met all criteria for the study have been chosen as the sample. From these, three months worth of entries
will be read and analyzed for features of empowerment. This research is valuable not only to the Deaf community. It is beneficial
to understand how any marginalized group can have pride, agency, self worth and power.
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Use of Live Theater in Combating Stigma of People with Serious Mental Illness - David A. Faigin
Social stigma has a devastating effect on the lives of people coping with serious mental illness. Stigma can impact feelings
of self-worth, and play a major role in limiting individuals’ access to community resources such as housing, education, and
employment. For the past 40 years, community psychologists have been committed to reducing stigma and giving voice to people
coping with serious mental illness.
The present study compares the effectiveness of live theater and video documentary in reducing stigmatization of people living
with serious mental illness. The Fisher Players are a theater troupe from Detroit who live with serious mental illness, and
develop plays that depict their experiences. To better understand how empowered groups can reduce stigma, we study the effect
of Fisher Players’ performances on attitudes about mental illness in a sample of 240 undergraduates. Attitudes about tolerance
and future contact with people with mental illness are assessed before, immediately following, and one month after exposure
to either 1) live theater 2) documentary video or 3) no presentation about mental illness in the context of a college course.
Study results can help community psychologists to develop innovative interventions to both empower people living with mental
illness and inform communities about the strengths and abilities of this population.
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Optimism and Loss: The Experiences of Children in Foster Care - Christine McAuliffe
On any given day in the United States, there are approximately a half of a million children in the foster care system. Researchers
and practitioners document the economic, social and emotional costs associated with foster care. Children in foster care
are frequently found to be a high risk for problems related to aggression, violence, anxiety and depression. Yet, relatively
little is known about the resilience and coping strategies of foster care children. For community psychologists, identifying
elements of the foster care system related to successful adaptation and coping has direct implications for community action.
The present study examines the role of foster care placement decisions on feelings of optimism and sense of personal loss
experienced by 60 children placed in care in Northwest Ohio. The research describes levels of optimism and aspects of loss
that result from foster care placement in a sample of children ages 8 – 18 placed in care for a variety of reasons. Relationships
between aspects of the foster care system, such as type of foster care placement, frequency of parental contact, and length
of time in the system, on children’s reports of optimism and personal loss are investigated. Implications of study findings
for program development and community advocacy will be discussed.
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