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Browsing by Author "Bright, Charlotte, committee member"

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    The experiences of college students in counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Keyes, David, author; Gonzalez-Voller, Jessica, advisor; Carlson, Laurie, committee member; Bright, Charlotte, committee member
    The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts on communities around the globe. This created additional stressors on college students, a population known to already have significant stressors and mental health concerns. This qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews and arts-based submissions to explore the mental health counseling experiences of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six participants volunteered via responses to fliers posted throughout the Colorado State University main campus. Several themes emerged following transcription and explorative-reflexive thematic analysis. Participants endorsed feelings of isolation, loss, and fear related to the pandemic. Participants also endorsed that trauma- or stressor-related concerns as well as anxiety and depression as primary reasons for seeking mental health counseling. Participants found talk therapy and aspects of the therapeutic relationship to be helpful components in their experience. Participants also stated that tangible items such as skills, frameworks, and diagnoses as important components to their experience. Participants generally had a negative view of telehealth due to feelings of disconnectedness and a lack of privacy. Overall, participants viewed mental health counseling as helpful even if some of their experiences were negative. Some implications for the counseling field and counselors include directly and clearly communicating needs and plans, incorporating activities and frameworks as a means of understanding, utilizing arts-based communication, viewing the pandemic as a clinician may view past trauma, and implementing psychoeducation and psychodrama as possible treatment methods.
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    The scientific rigor of parental alienation studies: a quality assessment of the peer reviewed research
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Marsden, Joshua, author; Harman, Jennifer, advisor; French, Kimberly, committee member; Bright, Charlotte, committee member; Tompkins, Sarah Anne, committee member
    Parental Alienation (PA), a form of family violence, has negative outcomes for children and parents. Despite being a generative field of science, some critics contest the validity of PA research. Utilizing the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and building upon the Harman et al. (2022) systematic review, a comprehensive assessment of 155 studies published up to March of 2023 was conducted to examine the quality of empirical, peer-reviewed PA research. The findings indicate a consistent high level of scientific rigor in PA research, irrespective of when a study was published. The robust quality of PA research addresses several PA criticisms. By addressing concerns regarding the legitimacy of PA research meeting scientific rigor, evaluating the quality of empirical PA methodology will provide further insights regarding said scientific validity, further aiding the decision-making process for family court systems and policy makers.