Cynthia K. Chandler

Enhancing Personal Wellness in Counselor Trainees Using Biofeedback: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this study was to explore whether biofeedback-assisted relaxation training could reduce stress-related symptoms and enhance personal well-being in a group of counselor trainees enrolled in a basic counseling skills course. Treatment participants received ten sessions of weekly biofeedback-assisted relaxation training, whereas the control participants received no intervention. The treatment group showed, significant improvements in several symptom areas measured by the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised: physical complaints (Somatization), personal inadequacy (Interpersonal Sensitivity), confused thinking or alienation or both (Psychoticism), and the overall number and severity of symptoms (Global Severity Index and Positive Symptom Total). The control participants showed no significant improvements in any symptom areas. Biofeedback-assisted relaxation was shown to be an effective stress-reducing intervention for counselor trainees, which resulted in a greater sense of personal well-being.

An Exploratory Study of Animal-Assisted Interventions Utilized by Mental Health Professionals.

This study implemented an exploratory analysis to examine how a sample of mental health professionals incorporates specific animal-assisted techniques into the therapeutic process. An extensive review of literature related to animal-assisted therapy (AAT) resulted in the identification of 18 techniques and 10 intentions for the practice of AAT in mental health. The techniques and intentions, along with demographic queries, were formulated into survey items and distributed to mental health professionals who integrate AAT into their practice. The frequency of use of the AAT techniques by survey participants (n = 31) is reported; furthermore, each of the 18 techniques is matched with the frequency of intention for use of the technique.

Application of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Professional Settings: An Overview of Alternatives

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the multitude of therapeutic options on how animals can be incorporated effectively. It provides an overview of the applications of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) in various disciplines and highlights numerous ways in which AAI can be integrated and applied. It builds on this information and provides useful techniques and strategies for AAI with children and adults. AAI is now becoming more recognized as a potential alternative in numerous health care disciplines. Professionals in various mental health disciplines, speech and language therapists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and nurses are but a few of the disciplines incorporating animals as part of their therapeutic regime. Disciplines such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nursing, mental health, and education are some of the disciplines where animals are now being used as an aspect of treatment. As AAI continues gaining professional acceptance, more extensive research is needed to document its efficacy.

Assessing the Efficacy of Rational Recovery in the Treatment of Alcohol/Drug Dependency

Abstract This research addresses the efficacy of Rational Recovery (RR) as a treatment modality. Two groups often (10) alcohol/drug dependent subjects were exposed to two different treatment approaches at an outpatient-counseling center in the Southwest United States. All subjects were given the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-2 (SASSI-2) as a measurement of symptoms associated with alcohol/drug dependency. Findings showed that the RR group showed significant change from pre to post-test administration of the SASSI. The results indicate that RR can be an effective treatment for enhancing openness and decreasing denial for alcohol/drug dependent subjects.

Human-animal Relational Theory: a Guide for Animal-assisted Counseling

ABSTRACT Animal-assisted therapy in counseling (AAT-C) is growing in popularity. However, there has been no theory to guide the practice and supervision of this field. In response to this need, I developed human-animal relational theory (HART). HART is a model that explains how AAT-C is effective and serves as a guide for practice and supervision. I describe HART constructs in a manner consistent with neurobiological effects of human-animal interaction. HART provides guidance on how to identify and effectively process significant human-animal relational moments (SHARMS) in counseling for therapeutic impact. I present real cases to exemplify implementation of HART.