The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological inquiry was to explore college-aged women's experiences of body positivity and self-acceptance. I applied a conceptual framework that blended feminist identity development model (FIDM) and relational cultural theory (RCT) to answer the following questions: (a) what are the lived experiences of college-aged women who identify as having a positive and accepting body image? and (b) how do college-aged women's intersecting identities contribute to the development of positive and accepting body image? Ten college-age women participated in the current study. The participants provided detailed accounts of their experiences of body image throughout their life. Five overarching themes were identified through data analysis of the interview transcripts: (a) advocating for self and others, (b) beauty expectations and societal definitions, (c) intersecting identities, (d) journey of acceptance, and (e) relationships and community. Participants offered insight into the development of their current position of body positivity and self-acceptance that serve as implications for other relevant contexts. Implications and recommendations drawn from the participants' experiences can inform preventative and treatment care in educational settings, family environments, clinical practice, and integrated care.

Depression in childhood is a significant mental health concern, impacting cognitive, affective, social, behavioral, and physical domains. Children who experience depressive symptoms are at an increased risk for physical and mental health, social, and behavioral problems throughout adulthood. Children who are marginalized due to their socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic identities are at an increased risk to experience depression and limited access to mental health care. Further, previous research has demonstrated limited efficacy of depression treatments for young children. In this study, I examined the efficacy of child-centered play therapy [CCPT], a culturally and developmentally responsive treatment, on depression among young children. Participants were 71 children from five Title 1 elementary schools in the southwestern U.S. referred by school personnel for depressive symptoms (49 males, 22 females; ages 5-9, mean age M = 6.21). The sample consisted of 14 (19.7%) African American, 3 (4.2%) Asian American, 15 (21.1%) biracial, 19 (26.8%) Caucasian, and 20 (28.2%) Latino children. Participants were randomly assigned to eight weeks of twice-weekly CCPT treatment group (n = 34) or a waitlist control group (n = 37). Results of doubly multivariate repeated-measures MANOVA revealed statistically significant improvement in depressive symptoms for children who participated in CCPT on …

Virginia Axline developed a new field of child psychotherapy by applying a nondirective approach to the burgeoning experimentation of utilizing play in therapeutic work with children. While much biographical information is available regarding other leaders in the fields of counseling and psychology, historical research into Axline and her development of child-centered play therapy represent a gap in the literature. The purpose of the current study was to: 1) examine the professional contributions of Virginia Axline; 2) gather personal information regarding Axline that contributes to deeper understanding of her theory; and 3) identify life circumstances or events that influenced Axline's professional contributions. Historical methodology was utilized to locate and examine artifacts and materials necessary to create an interpretive biography of Axline's life and work, with a focus on her professional influences, experiences, and contributions. Historical methods utilized include historiography, oral history, and interpretive biography, with an emphasis on established and accepted source criticism and data synthesis processes. The research yielded a number of historically significant and previously unknown documents valuable to the field of CCPT including personal correspondence, academic writings, and interviews, as well as academic and government records. The research also established new information about and understandings of several of …

Childhood poverty is a prevalent concern in the United States and is associated with poor psychological and academic outcomes. Psychosocial stressors associated with life in poverty may interrupt the development of a positive self-concept, ultimately hampering the academic achievement of children in poverty. As the therapeutic objectives of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) support the development of an increasingly positive self-concept, I explored the impact of CCPT on the academic achievement of children in poverty. Participants were composed of 55 students between the ages of 4-7 years old from seven Title 1 elementary schools in the southern United States. Of the 55 study participants, 12 (22%) were female and 43 (78%) were male. Regarding participant ethnicity, 7 (13%) were African American, 1 (2%) was Asian American, 5 (9%) were multi-racial, 35 (64%) were Latino, 6 (11%) were Caucasian, and 1 (2%) did not report ethnicity. Participants were randomly assigned to either a 16 session CCPT treatment group (n = 25) or a waitlist control group (n = 30). A mixed between-within ANOVA was conducted to evaluate improvement in academic achievement scores between treatment and control groups across time. Results indicated a statistically significant interaction effect on the Early Achievement Composite Score …