Publications by authors named "Steven J Sandage"

Objective: The present study explored rates of burnout and racial trauma among 182 Black mental health professionals (BMHPs) and utilized racial-cultural theory to explore potential protective factors against burnout and racial trauma.

Method: We collected data from 182 Black psychologists and counselors who were active mental health professionals during 2020. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analyses of variance, follow-up univariate analyses of variance, bivariate correlations, and multiple regression analyses were used.

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This feasibility study reports on the development and initial evaluation of a novel online intervention for helping professionals (HPs; i.e. mental health professionals, chaplains, clergy) designed to (a) address occupational hazards, such as burnout and vicarious traumatization, and (b) promote well-being and flourishing at work.

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Introduction: Existing research shows positive associations between humility and well-being, and between civic engagement and well-being. Rarely have humility, civic engagement, and well-being been examined together. We build off of previous cross-sectional findings and a prior longitudinal study that used three waves of data and found significant positive bivariate correlations between humility and the presence of life purpose across time points.

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Objective: Treatment outcome monitoring typically emphasizes pathology. In contrast, we responded to the need to establish psychodynamic psychotherapy as evidence-based by modeling changes in gratitude and forgiveness.

Method: We utilized a practice-based research design involving non-manualized outpatient treatment.

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During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, chaplains have played a pivotal role in patient, family member, and staff care. However, little empirical attention has been given to (a) the potential toll of frontline spiritual care on chaplains' mental health and occupational functioning as well as (b) the development of interventions that can help ameliorate these risks and promote resilience. Using a mixed-method practice-based design, we conducted a pilot study ( = 77) to evaluate a novel spiritually integrated support group intervention for chaplains across multiple industries, which consisted of five Zoom-based sessions cofacilitated by psychotherapists.

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A comprehensive review of the practice-based evidence for spiritually integrated psychotherapy (SIP) is necessary in order to catalyze research and training in this important diversity area. In this article, we identify and synthesize key findings from 35 studies in six key areas: (a) SIPs in trauma treatment, (b) SIPs in treating eating disorders, (c) SIPs in general psychotherapy, (d) existential concerns as part of SIPs, (e) patients and therapist attitudes about SIPs, and (f) SIP supervision and training models. Building on this, we propose a culturally contextual understanding of this diversity area, drawing from the Relational Spirituality Model (RSM).

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The COVID-19 pandemic brings to light many areas the field of counselling and psychotherapy may need to address in future research. We outline several issues stemming from or exacerbated by the pandemic and offer suggestions for future research to address the mental health needs of those impacted. Our suggestions focus on five domains: (a) the health and well-being of helping professionals, (b) the infodemic, (c) discrimination and minority stress, (d) spiritual and existential dynamics in mental health and (e) couple and family stress and resilience.

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Researchers have increasingly called for the examination of both mental health symptoms and well-being when providing and evaluating psychotherapy, and although symptoms and well-being are typically inversely related, these appear to be distinct constructs that may require distinct intervention strategies. Positive psychology interventions, virtue-based treatments, and psychotherapies explicitly focused on promoting well-being have emerged in response to, or perhaps in concert with, the calls for attention to symptoms and well-being. Our review of the relevant and vast research pockets revealed that these treatments demonstrated relative efficacy in promoting well-being, whereas evidence for relative efficacy when reducing symptoms was largely inconclusive, particularly in psychotherapy contexts.

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Objective: Employing practice-based research methods, we addressed the need to examine the effectiveness of psychodynamic treatment as a supplement to the efficacy evidence offered by randomized clinical trials.

Method: We used person-centered analyses to generate latent subgroups of clients (N = 118; M  = 40.92; 53.

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A number of studies have examined the mediating factors in the relationship between religion and spirituality (R/S) and psychological health. Humility is a virtue that has been positively correlated with R/S variables, measures of well-being, and indicators of psychosocial functioning. In this study, we investigate dispositional humility as a potential moderator in the relationship between religious and spiritual salience and (1) well-being and (2) psychosocial functioning outcomes in a clinical sample.

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Forgiveness-based group treatments to address interpersonal hurts have been shown to be efficacious across a range of therapy models (Wade, Hoyt, Kidwell, & Worthington, 2014). However, little is known about how treatment and individual characteristics may interact in predicting outcomes. The present study examined a sample of 162 community adults randomly assigned to three treatment conditions; an 8-week REACH Forgiveness intervention (Worthington, 2006), an 8-week process group, and a waitlist control.

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Prior research has demonstrated positive associations between general humility and well-being, and posited a protective effect for intellectual humility against maladjustment among religious leaders. We tested a model that extended findings on general humility to include intellectual humility among religious leaders (N = 258; M age = 42.31; 43% female; 63.

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Loss is a fundamental human experience that can impact a person's mental health in diverse ways. While this experience is potentially formative, harmful manifestations can fracture one's sense of self and undermine relational health. In this article, we present a rationale for process-oriented group therapy focused on healing relational injuries associated with loss.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Multiple studies show various outcomes regarding the link between religious involvement and depression, with many suggesting a negative correlation while others show no relationship or a positive one.
  • - The article specifically explores how aspects of relational spirituality may influence the connection between religious engagement and depression among graduate students.
  • - Findings indicate that factors like spiritual instability and disappointment in God are significant predictors of depression, even more so than religious involvement itself, prompting a discussion on implications for training and understanding in this area.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The pilot study assessed the effectiveness of a group forgiveness module integrated into dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for adults with borderline personality disorder, involving 40 participants primarily female.
  • - Participants reported significant increases in forgiveness and decreases in attachment insecurities and psychiatric symptoms during the forgiveness module, with improvements sustained to a 6-week follow-up, especially compared to an earlier distress tolerance module.
  • - Results indicated that changes in attachment style mediated the relationship between forgiveness motivations and reductions in psychiatric symptoms, leading to recommendations for further development and the need for a randomized controlled trial.
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