O'Neill, Linda

no abstract available

Suicide in northern British Columbia [BC] is an understudied but prominent health concern. This study aimed to understand the individual experiences of those seeking support for suicidal ideation in northern BC and, specifically, sought to understand what responses are perceived as helpful and not helpful. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, five semi-structured interviews were conducted, resulting in four main themes found across each interview, each with two sub-themes. These four themes include: 1) Death Avoidance, where participants discussed how death and suicide were avoided, missed, dismissed, and hidden by themselves and others as well as the widespread silence around mental health and suicide in communities; 2) Power and Powerlessness, which describes the power that suicide held over the participants and their attempts at reclaiming some of that power; 3) Meaning and Meaninglessness, which explores the search for purpose and meaning each participant underwent; and 4) Connection and Safety, which discusses the complex interactions between connection and disconnection, and the ways that felt sense of safety, or the lack of, impacted connection and suicide. This study supports existing literature that describes the importance of safe and validating connections that allow for options, choice, and exploration of meaning. Moving forward, collaborating with individuals considering suicide in a trauma-informed manner that emphasizes respect, validation, power, and meaning is recommended.

Canadian schools have long employed punitive discipline, a colonial paradigm that is hierarchical and exclusionary. Using Participatory Action Research, two Indigenous and nine non-Indigenous educators collaborated to implement a restorative model into an elementary school in northern British Columbia. Our hybrid of Restitution and Restorative Practices (RRP) and Circles included regional Indigenous protocols. A thematic analysis of participant interviews revealed patterns in the key areas of belonging, cultural safety, trauma informed practice, shame, and decolonizing education. RRP was experienced as an egalitarian model and Indigenous protocols supported community building during Circle practice. Implementation of RRP and Circles (RRP/C) did not represent enough structural change to decolonize discipline, but this hybrid was a relational and holistic model that integrated the Indigenous values of consensus building, interconnection, and harmony. Concerns with the model and its implementation included cultural racism, resistance, vulnerability, shame, and safety.

This research explores women's experiences in recovery from addiction in a suburban area of Mississauga, Ontario (ON). In the suburbs drugs are not as localized as they might be in a city. The goal set out in this research was to better understand recovery from the women’s perspectives as well as identify barriers, challenges, and benefits they faced in recovery and treatment programs. The research offers suggestions on how this information could be considered when creating or adapting current recovery and treatment programs. The research may also help us understand and improve women’s entry, retention, and completion of treatment programs. Six participants participated in semi-structured interviews, four in person and two over the video platform Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis was conducted and four themes emerged: opinions on treatment programs, cravings and withdrawals, support, and recommendations to improve treatment programs.

While research continues to establish a connection between shame and complex trauma, there is a lack of understanding on how this is addressed in therapeutic practice. The current research employed a qualitative exploratory research methodology to answer the question, how do counsellors perceive and treat shame in adult survivors of complex trauma? Seven counsellors were recruited to engage in a virtual semi-structured. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis resulting in three main themes, each containing various sub-themes. The three themes are emotional landscape, which pertains to the emotional effects of shame and how they can be treated in therapy; self-concept, which explores the negative beliefs and thinking patterns clients develop and suggests techniques for diffusing shame; and attachment and the therapeutic relationship, which highlights interpersonal difficulties faced by clients and the impact of the therapeutic alliance, along with exploring the personal experience of counsellors in the therapeutic relationship.

Attachment is well established as a fundamental component of long-term partner relationships. Patterns of attachment, between adult partners, hold potential to strengthen or erode the relational bond. Furthermore, partner attachment dynamics have been linked to the long-term emotional and physical wellbeing of both partners. At present, effective in-depth adult attachment resources and interventions are available in various formats. This project adds to the available repertoire of adult attachment resources by providing a three-day introductory retreat focusing on attachment theory fundamentals and skills for developing healthy attachments in relationships. This three-day retreat utilizes interactive partner and group activities along with group therapy sessions. In addition, this couples’ program introduces mindfulness and gratitude practices that support secure partner interactions. This retreat program is intended to be an initial introduction to attachment science and is designed to generate openness and a desire for further engagement with adult attachment resources.

The Métis are a large population of Indigenous peoples who inhabit Turtle Island, otherwise known as North America. Due to the well-documented deleterious effects of colonization on Indigenous peoples, some Métis remain disconnected from their culture and have grown up with little to no knowledge of their Métis heritage. This project suggests an outline for a Métis-specific group therapy for adults who grew up outside of the community and wish to connect to other Métis in a meaningful way. The project will guide readers through the culturally specific complexities of adopting a Métis identity, as well as suggest methods and perspectives for the Western counsellor to implement in building a positive therapeutic relationship with both Métis individuals and communities.

International students pursuing higher education experience diverse challenges during their stay in their host culture. This project design relies on research findings of the pervasive challenges faced by international students in creating a guidebook for international students pursuing higher education at the University of Northern British Columbia. The stress that students encounter around the psychological and social-cultural domains is often difficult to mitigate when familiar support systems are not available and/or accessible. The dominant stress areas identified during the cross-cultural transition are in the areas of language, academic, social, financial, and labor market. The availability of support systems that provide international students with awareness about cross-cultural challenges, support resources, and their functions in the academic setting as well as community environment can assist them in better integration and successful outcomes.

Relationships between the identity styles (informational, normative, and diffuse-avoidant), compassionate love for humanity, self-compassion, and quiet ego were explored. To date, no research has examined relationships between these constructs. Three hundred four individuals (84 men and 220 women) completed self-report measures of identity style, compassionate love for humanity, self-compassion, and quiet ego. Participants were members of an age range referred to as emerging adults (ages 18 to 29). Seven hypotheses were investigated, including whether: (1) there will be a significant positive relationship between the informational identity style and quiet ego; (2) there will be a significant negative relationship between the normative identity style and quiet ego; (3) there will be a significant negative relationship between the diffuse-avoidant identity style and quiet ego; (4) the informational identity style positively predicts quiet ego, with high self-compassion being a mediating factor; (5) the informational identity style positively predicts quiet ego, with high compassionate love for humanity being a mediating factor; (6) the normative identity style negatively predicts quiet ego, with low compassionate love for humanity being a mediating factor; and (7) the diffuse-avoidant identity style negatively predicts quiet ego, with low self-compassion being a mediating factor. Data analyses were carried out using the statistical software SPSS to conduct correlations and hierarchical multiple regressions, in order to examine the hypotheses. Results indicated that quiet ego was significantly positively correlated with the informational identity style, and significantly negatively correlated with the normative and diffuse-avoidant identity styles. Furthermore, the positive relationship between the informational identity style and quiet ego was partially mediated by compassionate love for humanity. The negative relationship between the normative identity style and quiet ego was linearly impacted, but not mediated, by compassionate love for humanity. The negative relationship between the diffuse-avoidant identity style and quiet ego was linearly impacted, but not mediated, by self-compassion. Potential reasons for why the observed results were obtained are provided. Future studies may explore potential gender differences in these relationships, in addition to analyzing the different components of self-compassion, and their relationship to the identity styles and quiet ego. Limitations for this study included the use of a survey design, which reduces the ability to infer directionality from the findings. The implications of the results are discussed.

This thesis was conducted in the province of Alberta’s Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR) to identify the themes and variances among women’s informal methods of coping with and leaving abusive relationships, using a qualitative-exploratory approach. With the acknowledgment of feminist theory, the strengths-based perspective, and person-centred theory, this thesis explored women’s perspectives and their personal experiences of resiliency during and after leaving their abusive, male partners. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the data, which identified the following themes among the survivors: strong, informal support networks, engaging in self-care activities and self-improvement activities as a trauma response, and, the shared, personal attributes of self-preservation, resourcefulness, and self-reflection. Recommendations for theory, practice and further research are posed to the helping professions and informal support networks of survivors.

The following is a synthesis of the literature focused on ways of supporting healthy grieving in children and a related children’s book based on the findings. I have produced a book on grieving that is intended to be used by caregivers and educators to support bereaved children. The support strategies that are discussed here and reflected in the book Dragonfly Dance include ideas from traditional therapeutic approaches, expressive arts, pet therapy, grief camps, adventure therapy, and group therapy. The tasks of grieving are also described through selected literature. Dragonfly Dance incorporates many of the known activities that support transition through grief.

This project will examine the emerging literature related to the coronavirus disease pandemic, its potential effects on the mental health of children and factors promoting resilience in this population. The culmination of this work will be a series of interventions utilizing bibliotherapy to help foster resilience in children. These interventions are intended to be used by school counsellors, mental health professionals, teachers or parents, as well as with small groups or large groups of children. The project will be divided into five sections with each section focusing on a principle that helps promote resilience in children following a mass trauma. Each section will consist of an explanation of the principle, a book choice, interventions that could be initiated by a mental health professional, a teacher, or a parent followed by an annotated bibliography of additional books that could be utilized to support this principle.

Nature-based therapy is a therapeutic lens that utilizes nature as a co-therapist. This approach addresses the disconnect between land and people, a disconnect that negatively impacts the mental health of many of those seeking mental health services. Consequently, this approach is now considered an effective treatment for youth and is used as a standalone approach or integrated with cognitive behavioural therapy, gestalt, or group therapy. In either case, this nature-based lens provides a bridge between traditional Indigenous practices and Western psychology. My project highlights various activities and ideas in order to incorporate nature into one’s practice as a therapist, specifically within a northern context. Information regarding benefits, ethical concerns and various types of nature-based therapy will be discussed and guide the development of the manual. The guidebook will assist those interested in nature therapy by creating a place where tangible and realistic ideas for how to incorporate it into practice are located.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a controversial diagnosis that is debated in public and professional spheres. However, the experiences of Aboriginal peoples have largely not been included in this debate. Considering that reactions to trauma may include hyperactivity and attention-deficits, and that mental health is defined differently in different cultures, this is arguably problematic. This research uses a qualitative exploratory approach embedded in an anti-oppressive social work research framework to explore the experiences of four urban Aboriginal mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD in Northern British Columbia. It was found that Aboriginal caregivers experience many challenges already recorded in the literature, and that they also grapple with the impacts of colonialism and intergenerational trauma in different ways. When considering the principles of allyship and anti-oppressive practice, this raises ethical questions about where the burden of responsibility lies, as well as how ADHD is currently defined and used in practice.

This study is an exploration of the intersectionality of my two identities, lesbian and social worker, within the northern British Columbia (BC) mental health workspace. By taking a transformative stance and making use of queer methodology, I present my voice as both the researcher and the researched. My data sources are based on past recollections and a collection of personal poems, reflections, stories, journal entries, sketches, collages, and photographs. Through autoethnographic accounts, I examine experiences as my identities intersect and become the focus of workplace bullying and harassment within the setting of northern British Columbia (BC) mental health system. I also examine the personal and professional costs of using internal agency and provincially legislated protocols and policies in challenging workplace bullying and harassment behaviour, such as the little-known topic of disenfranchised grief.

Volunteer firefighters have limited up-to-date training and awareness in applied coping skills and trauma informed practice (TIP). Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) has been a standard of practice within emergency services — including fire rescue services — for decades in Northern British Columbia. With new developments in TIP, I suggest we can further improve volunteer firefighters’ wellness by exploring specific coping strategies. The purpose of this endeavour was to interview volunteer firefighters, explore their experiences, and better understand their coping styles and approaches to managing stress related to the work. In the exploration of critical incident coping skills, a qualitative methodology and thematic analysis was applied. This study adds to the current literature on work-related coping, and hopefully increases awareness of best practices for psychological safety and wellness of volunteer firefighters in Northern British Columbia.

Developing high school curriculums that promote positive mental health by fostering connection and meaning is an important undertaking. This project explores the role that Nature Therapy and trauma informed practice can play in guiding curriculum development. To do this the contextual realities the Learning Support Center at Prince George Secondary School are explored and a brief literature review on the topics of Nature Therapy and adolescent based Trauma counselling is completed. The final component of this project is the completion of a School District 57 Board Authorized Course Template that integrates elements of Nature Therapy, trauma informed practice and school connectedness with curricular content.

Non-profit and charity organizations often rely heavily on fundraising as their primary means of covering expenses. Non-profits, being eligible for far fewer grants than registered charities, may be especially dependent on the outcomes of their fundraising efforts in order to continue providing services to their community. Since many organizations struggle to find enough time, resources, and volunteers, it is essential that the time and effort applied to fundraising are successful in attaining the necessary funds. This project supplies organizations with a guide for planning and producing major fundraising events. While the majority of the guide is applicable to any group planning to host a major fundraising event, some points may need adjustment in order to best fit the given organization. The timeline of the guide begins six to nine months before the date of the event. The guide includes a series of checklists and numerous appendices that outline in detail the various steps necessary for planning and hosting a major fundraising dinner.