Health Related
PROJECT 1: SUPPORTING MILITARY VETERANS THROUGH THE LENS OF FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY IN ADDICTION COUNSELING
PROJECT 2: INTEGRATING RESEARCH TRAINING AND RESEARCH-INFORMED COUNSELING: REFINEMENT OF THE RESEARCH COMPETENCIES SCALE
| Themes | Health-Related, Counseling, Psychology, Behavioral Science |
|---|---|
| Faculty Member | Dr. Bilal Kalkan |
| Academic School |
School of Counseling
|
| Title Project #1 |
Supporting Military Veterans Through The Lens Of Family Systems Theory In Addiction Counseling |
| Description Project #1 | Military veterans often face unique challenges in their transition to civilian life, including an increased risk of mental health struggles and substance use disorders. These challenges are frequently combined by the impact of their experiences on family dynamics, which can either hinder or support their recovery process. However, traditional addiction counseling approaches may not fully address the interconnected nature of these issues within the family system.
A lack of holistic frameworks that account for the relational dynamics in veterans’ lives can hinder long-term recovery outcomes. Family Systems Theory emphasizes understanding the interconnected roles, patterns, and dynamics within a family unit. For military veterans, who often struggles with adjustment and reintegration into society after their services and a high prevalence of relational strain due to military-related trauma, this holistic approach allows counselors to address not only at the individual level but also the family’s collective role in addiction and recovery process. |
| Title Project #2 | Integrating Research Training and Research-Informed Counseling: Refinement of the Research Competencies Scale |
| Description Project #2 | Research can tell us where we are and direct us where to go. Research also serves as a foundation for ethical and effective clinical practice. Research and Program Evaluation is one of the eight common core areas of Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) counseling curriculum. Furthermore, the American Counselor Association’s (ACA) Code of Ethics encourages counselors to conduct and use research to best serve their clients. Therefore, Counselor Education programs recognize that doctoral students should be developed as researchers, but due to lack of attention and research, we lack information on how developing a research identity is regarded as an objective with master’s-level counseling students.
This study will explore the state of counseling graduate students’ relationships to research and will provide results for the enhancement of the research training of counseling students, and refinement and improvement of the Research Competencies Scale. Furthermore, findings of this study not only could potentially inform counseling master’s and counselor education doctoral programs addressing research training, but also will help researchers improve the instrument for future research. |
| Remote Participation? | Yes |
| Contact Information |
THE INVISIBLE WALL: U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICIES AND IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH IN LATINE COMMUNITIES
| Themes | Counseling, Behavioral Science, Psychology |
|---|---|
| Faculty Member | Dr. Chanel Rodriguez |
| Academic School |
School of Counseling
|
| Description | Immigration is the least funded sector in the United States government, which is reflective on how the United States government sees immigrants, particularly Latine communities. While people in power have expressed racist slogans like, “Build A Wall” or “Mass deportations to the illegals”, there is an importance on addressing the ugly historical truth on the investment in blaming immigrants and the impact on Latine mental health as a consequence. The U.S. society is finally moving to normalizing mental health services and our communities and counseling field are becoming more diverse. There is a need for multilingual services to serve more U.S. communities, especially during this time while executive orders are hunting people down with racial profiling and lack of due process. This proposed study will bring the voices of humans that are being targeted and impacted by the current executive orders that were put in place by the Trump administration. Since it is the beginning, I need someone to assist in building literature that can support this study and possibly be involved in the active process in interviewing people. |
| Remote Participation? | Yes |
| Contact Information |
IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELORS WORKING WITH CANCER PATIENTS
| Themes | Counseling, Behavioral Science, Psychology |
|---|---|
| Faculty Member | Dr. Mirian Campos |
| Academic School |
School of Counseling
|
| Description | Providing mental health services to cancer/oncology patients can be considered a speciality due to the additional knowledge one must obtain related to cancer and its medical treatment. Counselors have limited representation in this area of expertise as social workers have historically been hired in hospital settings. As the counseling profession grows it is important for counseling students and professionals in the field to have methods of obtaining knowledge and skills that will enable them to work effectively with cancer patients. The purpose of this research is to do a literature review of what research has been done in regards to providing therapy to cancer patients and how this knowledge can be applied to creating educational trainings for counselors. Looking at the literature will also indicate what gaps are present in working with this population and allow for insight into what additional research may need to be conducted to eventually create a research based training for counselors. The assigned student will help in finding literature that already exists on the topic and helping me read through and find the gaps in research and the extract the therapeutic treatment approaches that already may exist. This data collection will eventually lead to the development of a workshop or training tailored to counselors who would like to work with the oncology population. |
| Remote Participation? | Yes |
| Contact Information |
ALOHA STUDY: A HANDS-ON STUDENT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY IN HEALTHY AGING
| Themes | Health-Related, Data Analytics |
|---|---|
| Faculty Member | Dr. Patricia Heyn |
| Academic School |
School of Health Science
|
| Description | The Arlington Longitudinal Optimal Healthy Aging Study (ALOHA): A Passport to Wellness is an interdisciplinary research initiative led by Marymount University’s Center for Optimal Aging (MCOA). ALOHA aims to identify and manage key health risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease, frailty, and chronic conditions in older adults, supporting aging well and aging in place. Through collaboration across programs such as Physical Therapy, Nursing, Health and Human Performance, Biomechanical Engineering, Psychology, Counseling, Artificial Intelligence, and Health Economics, the study offers a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in aging research.
During the MU Summer Program, students will actively engage in all aspects of the ALOHA study by learning data collection, data management, and analysis techniques, observing human health research assessments, and working directly with an interdisciplinary team of researchers. Each student will have the opportunity to work with a specific element of the study to explore—such as gait speed, grip strength, balance, mood, cognition, or mental health—and analyze its role in healthy aging and disease prevention. Students will also help prepare personalized Health Passports, which provide participants with individualized wellness feedback and recommendations. This experience supports Marymount’s Interprofessional Education and Development (IPED) model by preparing students to work collaboratively across disciplines to improve health outcomes. Students will walk away with valuable research skills, enhanced knowledge in aging science, and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of health in later life—while contributing meaningfully to a growing national need for a trained gerontological workforce. |
| Remote Participation? | No |
| Contact Information |
