Understanding mental health professionals' perspective of therapeutic alliance in working with unaccompanied children: A grounded theory approach
| dc.contributor.advisor | Oliver, Marvarene | |
| dc.contributor.author | Rivera, Wendy | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Gerlach, Jennifer | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Ikonomopolous, James | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Quick-Schumann, Catherine | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-09-19T17:41:34Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-09-19T17:41:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-08 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The number and trends of unaccompanied children immigrating to the U.S. has drastically changed throughout the years and many are placed in shelters while they remain in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Unaccompanied children subject to traumatic experiences in their country of origin or throughout their journey present with high levels of adverse mental health. Despite this, there is limited literature exploring the mental health concerns of unaccompanied children or the experiences of mental health professionals serving unaccompanied children specifically unaccompanied children in ORR care. This study aimed to understand the perception of mental health professionals of establishing therapeutic alliance with unaccompanied immigrant children in an ORR shelter. Grounded theory methods were utilized to identify elements vital to the process of building therapeutic alliance with unaccompanied immigrant children. In this qualitative study data was drawn for 6 participants providing mental health services to unaccompanied immigrant children in ORR shelters in South Texas. The pressing elements identified were, policy impacts treatment, boundaries, limitations due to setting, cultural competency, creating a safe environment and impacts of COVID-19. Understanding how these elements present themselves and how to address them in the process of developing therapeutic alliance is crucial. Future research should include a specific focus on building therapeutic alliance in other ORR settings. More work can be done to educate communities and other mental health professionals about the efforts and practices necessary in building therapeutic alliance with unaccompanied immigrant children and addressing their unique needs. | en_US |
| dc.description.college | College of Education and Human Development | en_US |
| dc.description.department | Counseling & Educational Psychology | en_US |
| dc.format.extent | 90 pages | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1969.6/94022 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.rights | This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with its source. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the author and/or publisher. | en_US |
| dc.subject | unaccompanied immigrant children | en_US |
| dc.subject | mental health professionals | en_US |
| dc.subject | therapeutic alliance | en_US |
| dc.subject | office of refugee resettlement | en_US |
| dc.subject | qualitative | en_US |
| dc.title | Understanding mental health professionals' perspective of therapeutic alliance in working with unaccompanied children: A grounded theory approach | en_US |
| dc.type | Text | en_US |
| dc.type.genre | Dissertation | en_US |
| dcterms.type | Text | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Counselor Education | en_US |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Texas A & M University--Corpus Christi | en_US |
| thesis.degree.level | Doctoral | en_US |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy | en_US |