Kids Alive! Support for Children of Parents with Cancer: An Exemplar Program for Children of Parents with Cancer

Cancer in a parent or caregiver is an event that affects the whole family. The roles and responsibilities of the diagnosed parent, as well as those of each family member, are affected at the time of diagnosis and throughout the progression of the illness. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 1,665,540 new cancer cases diagnosed and 585,720 cancer deaths in 2014. This staggering statistic means there are a number of cancer diagnoses that will directly affect thousands of parents and their children. Past research suggests this upheaval in the system is particularly stressful on children and can lead to a number of responses including anxiety, depression, distress, and other negative reactions. Despite the large number of parents and caregivers diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year, there are relatively few support groups aimed at supporting children affected by parental cancer. Support groups provide opportunities to serve this population in a number of advantageous ways by providing safety, support, and a sense of community. Additionally, support groups allow this population of young people to express their fears and worries, connect to others going through similar circumstances, and explore their parent's diagnosis in a context that is helpful and developmentally appropriate. Past research has found that children who do not receive support during this life-changing event can be negatively affected throughout the life span. On the other hand, this event can be a time to build a child's resilience and provide the structure through which they may thrive in adversity. Support groups offer the opportunity to address this difficult event and lead to positive results. Kids Alive! is one such group that has been proactive in support for children of parents diagnosed with cancer since 1995. Kids Alive!, a support group that runs out of Porter Hospital in Denver Colorado, uses Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey to structure monthly groups. The Hero's Journey, described in Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), focuses on a set pattern that all heroes must go through during their journey towards an ultimate victory and self-discovery. Kids Alive! incorporates this journey into a curriculum aimed at helping children explore their thoughts and feelings around their parent's cancer and leads to a realization that they are not alone on this journey. Over the course of eight months, children in Kids Alive! receive support and solidarity that leads to life-changing experiences and an understanding of what a diagnosis of cancer in a parent can mean. Kids Alive! consists of professionals and volunteers who take time to recognize and support this underserved population. The program has led to positive outcomes for nearly two decades and consistently increases the numbers of children and families served. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Kids Alive! program as an exemplar program that addresses these problems by utilizing protective factors research has found in this population. Further, this paper will discuss areas of future research while providing the model of an effective program aimed at serving an important population. Additionally, the model of Kids Alive! will be described through this paper in a way that allows for other oncology settings to consider this relatively simple program that provides consistently positive results.

The Importance of the First Psychotherapy Case in the Development of the Therapist's Professional Self as Viewed Through the Lens of Self Psychology

This paper explores the gap in the literature between what is herein referred to as the "first psychotherapy case" and its impact on the development of the trainee psychotherapist's professional self. The self psychology concepts of identity development, selfobject needs and fulfillment, narcissism, shame, countertransference, and structuralization are incorporated into the theoretical framework from which this developmental milestone is viewed. The theory's emphasis on early experiences and the development of self highlight the distinctiveness of the first case for the therapist. The beginning psychotherapy case poses a unique context for selfobject experiences and the developing self, involving both the therapist's presumably mature needs (assuming an existing cohesive nuclear self) and more infantile needs as the professional, peripheral self develops. As a result, the potential and important implications for the psychotherapist, the patient, training implications for the supervisor, and the ensuing treatment through termination are identified. The intent is to shed light on an area that is understudied thus far, and to begin a conversation as to why and how the impact of the first case on the psychotherapist should be examined. Implications, limitations, and ideas for future exploratory and qualitative research are also discussed.

The Trail of No Tears: Traditional Masculinity Ideologies and The Cycle of Dismissing-Avoidant Attachment

Raising boys in accordance with traditional masculinity ideologies is creating a mental health crisis among men. Socialization in accordance with traditional male gender roles causes boys to develop dismissing-avoidant attachments with their primary caregivers. Approaching subsequent relationships with a dismissing-attachment style creates disconnection between men and male peers, female partners, and their children. Many researchers advocate clinical interventions that perpetuate men's traditional fears of intimacy, however attachment theory provides an alternative lens through which clinicians may approach therapy with men. By engaging men in therapeutic attachment relationships, clinicians can inspire implicit and explicit learning of new attachment patterns. This experience by nature challenges traditional definitions of masculinity, and men may develop more congruent, adaptive, and healthy definitions of masculinity.

Mental Health Effects of Equine Therapy with Children

This study examined the effects of eight weekly lessons of therapeutic horseback riding (THR) on five children between the ages of 6 and 12 years who displayed behavioral issues, mood disturbance, relationship issues, or other mental health disorders. All of the children's parents/caregivers completed the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 at the onset of the lessons and at the conclusion of the lessons. The children did not show any significant improvement on the Internalizing, Externalizing, Total Problems scales or the syndrome scales. However, comparisons between the pre-test and post-test scores on the Behavior scale and the Externalizing scale showed positive trends which warrant further study. The lack of significance in the data suggests that a greater participant population or a mixed method study using a combination of quantitative and qualitative strategies may yield more conclusive results.

An Evaluation of Sport Psychology Service Delivery in Collegiate Athletics

Sport and Performance Psychology is an ever-evolving specialty. While its development continues, it has not been without its challenges. Sport and performance psychologists work in a variety of settings and often come from similar, yet inherently different, training backgrounds. Individuals from both sport sciences and psychology have made compelling arguments as to which approach provides quality services to their respective clients. The question that remains, however, is what are these quality services? Who are the clients and what do they need from professionals in the field?Collegiate student athletes inherently face a number of typical issues related to their age and development. They also face a number of atypical difficulties as a result of their status as student athletes. As such, they provide an adequate sample of potential presenting issues for sport and performance psychologists. This current study utilized a qualitative, exploratory method to evaluate the presenting issues that brought clients to seek services from professionals.This paper seeks to establish a foundation for the development of a theoretical basis of the psychology of human performance, including both performance and general mental health concerns, and how sport and performance psychologists can most effectively intervene in this process. This paper is based on an analysis of seven years of service delivery within a NCAA Division I athletic department.Results indicate that collegiate student athletes seek services related to performance enhancement and general mental health at relative equal frequency. As such, training and service delivery in both areas would be most beneficial and best serve this population.  

Multicultural education in Clinical Psychology Programs and the needs of racial minority trainees.

With more racial minorities entering the field of clinical psychology, the training needs of racial minority students in doctoral programs must be considered. Few studies address training in multicultural education from the perspective of racial minority students despite their increasing presence in the field. This may be due to assumptions educators make based on their level of competency in the area of multiculturalism. Thus, the goal of this exploratory study is to help determine the multicultural training needs of racial minorities enrolled in clinical psychology programs. This exploratory study was quantitative and used snowball sampling to survey racial minority trainees in doctoral programs in clinical psychology. Sixty one participants completed the survey. Results indicated that multicultural/diversity classes are valued by racial minority students and are relevant to them. However, the majority of students do not feel challenged, suggesting that their needs are not being fully met. It is recommended that their unique needs be included in the curriculum for multicultural education.

Utilizing Evidence-Based Psychology Practice in the University of Denver's Professional Psychology Center: A Proposal

As acceptance of the Evidence-based Psychology Practice (EBPP) model continues to grow (Pagoto, Spring, Coups, Mulvaney, Coutu, & Ozakinci, 2007), it seems pertinent to explore how this model can be applied in different settings. This topic is timely as practitioners in the field are being held ever more accountable for the efficacy of the treatments they employ (Pagoto et al., 2007). Increased scrutiny has resulted in a need to integrate research into practice in order to ensure continued relevance in the ever-changing realm of American health care (Luebbe, Radcliffe, Callands, Green & Thorn, 2007; Collins, Leffingwell & Belar, 2007; Chwalisz, 2003). This paper explores how the requirements set forth by the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice (2006) can be implemented at the University of Denver's (DU) Professional Psychology Center (PPC), a training clinic for students enrolled in the Psy.D. program at DU's Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP). In doing so, the methods employed by Collins et al. (2007) at Oklahoma State University (OSU) are used as a template and modified to accommodate differences between these two institutions.

Understanding Mastectomy from a Self Psychology Perspective: The Breast as a Self Object

For many women, if not all, breasts are an important component of bodyself-image; a woman may love them or dislike them, but she is rarely neutral" (Young, 2003, p.152). Breast cancer may be one of the oldest forms of cancer known to humans (American Cancer Society, 2010), and in 2008 in the United States over 182,000 women and almost 2,000 men were diagnosed with some form of breast cancer (American Cancer Society, 2008). In that same year 40,480 women and 450 men died from the disease. While any type of cancer diagnosis can instill a fear of mortality and incapacitation in the recipient, breast cancer holds a special meaning for women because of the significance placed on the breast both personally and societally. Removal of the breast tissue and muscle, or mastectomy, remains one of the primary forms of treatment for this disease. The breast plays an important role in a woman's identity, and the loss of one or both breasts due to breast cancer can have a monumental impact on her sense of self. A mastectomy affectsnot only a woman's relationship with herself, but with her family, friends, and society. It changes her outlook on life, her perception of her roles in the world, and her interest in interacting with others. Exploring these issues is important to understanding how doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, family members and support networks can best assist patients in coping with their illness. This paper attempts to understand the psychological issues and injuriesassociated with mastectomy through the lens of Self Psychology. It postulates that the breast itself is a selfobject for most women, and that its loss results in the fragmentation of the self. I will focus particularly on women between the ages of 25 and 40 years of age, in the marital and parental phases of developmental (Wolf, 1988), as the effect of a mastectomy on body image, sexuality, and genderbased roles such as motherhood has been shown to differ according to the age of the patient, with younger patients experiencing more distress (Ashing-Giwa et al, 2004).

Applying Positive Psychology in Early Childhood.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a framework for applying positive psychology in elementary classrooms. The target age group is children in grades K-3 (ages 5 to 8) because this age group can benefit the most from an early introduction to strategies that promote positive development (Cowne & Hightower, 1989; White, 1996). The following sections will: (a) introduce constructs of positive psychology; (b) present developmental data on how these constructs can be applied to children ages 5 to 8 years; (c) present ideas for incorporating positive psychology practice into K-3 classrooms; (d) present strategies for incorporating positive psychology with multicultural considerations; and (e) present ideas on how to implement strategies based on positive psychology that are compatible with grade level standards and sociopolitical teaching expectations.

Recovery from Pediatric Brain Injury: A Preliminary Comparison of Longitudinal Data on Psychological Symptomology and Mental Health Treatment

Objective: To document the course of psychological symptomology, mental health treatment, and unmet psychological needs using caregiver reports in the first 18 months following pediatric brain injury (BI). Method: Participants included 28 children (aged 1-18 years) who were hospitalized at a children's hospital's rehabilitation unit. Caregiver reports of children's psychological symptoms, receipt of mental health treatment, and unmet psychological needs were assessed at one month, six months, 12 months, and 18 months post-BI. Results: Caregivers reported a general increase in psychological symptoms and receipt of mental health treatment over the 18 months following BI; however, there was a substantial gap between the high rate of reported symptoms and low rate of reported treatment. Across all four follow-up time points there were substantial unmet psychological needs (at least 60% of sample). Conclusions: Findings suggest that there are substantial unmet psychological needs among children during the first 18 months after BI. Barriers to mental health treatment for this population need to be addressed.

Exploring How AFFECT (A Family Focused Emotion Communication Training) and Self Psychology Are Mutually Enhancing

This paper implicitly advocates for a rapprochement between psychodynamic and behavioral approaches to psychotherapy, by exploring the similarities and differences between self psychology and A Family Focused Emotion Communication Training (AFFECT), a behavioral parent training model. Self psychology, a theory with broad applicability, has been applied to several modalities besides behavioral ones. Generally speaking, self psychology and AFFECT are both relational approaches to psychotherapy that emphasize the impact of parent responsiveness, more specifically empathic attunement, on a child's emotional development and emotion regulation. Differentiating aspects of each model are identified to enhance the other model. AFFECT has relevance for pushing self psychology theory more in the direction of operations, which has implications for enhancing the research potential of self psychology, as well as for the training of the self-psychologist. Conversely, self psychology has relevance for coaching the parent with low self-esteem and decreased self-efficacy in AFFECT, which has potential implications for AFFECT treatment outcomes.

A Student's Perspective on Graduate Training in Sport Psychology

This article aims to add to the limited literature related to graduate training in applied sport psychology – specifically from the perspective of a current graduate student. The paper begins with a discussion about the evolving definitions of sport psychology and applied sport psychology as well as a brief history of sport psychology. Next, reasons why graduate students pursue the fields of sport psychology and applied sport psychology along with how this impacts their decisions related to graduate training are examined. Then, literature as well as personal experiences from the author related to education, supervision, practica and internships, mentorship, and certification are explored. Finally, recommendations are provided for students considering graduate training in applied sport psychology.

The Psychology of Adolescent Out-of Wedlock Pregnancy and Childbearing

Illegitimate adolescent pregnancy creates a variety of problems, beginning with the difficult decision about whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. If the pregnancy is carried to term, choices follow regarding marriage or single parenthood and keeping or relinquishing the child. All of these choices involve consequences for the adolescent, many of them negative ones. This paper examines the problem of out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy and its possible psychological sources. It also introduces a method for analyzing the psychology of unwed teen pregnancy and childbearing and reviews the literature on the subject by this method. NOTE: Approvals page submitted to digital archive lacks signatures