Graduation Year
2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor in Psychology (Psy. D.)
Abstract
Numerous times, as a new clinician, I have witnessed the substance use disorder population referred to as not being dependable, dangerous, burnt out, and even hopeless. Often times I have heard mental health professionals make statements amongst themselves that the client could not be helped, referred to them as a “frequent flyer,” (meant to convey they frequently present for treatment, relapse, and return for treatment), and complain how tax dollars are being wasted to support the client. I felt empathy and a sense of hopelessness for these clients as they were seeking treatment in order to get help and yet they were faced with the potential of harm from clinicians with what appeared to be biased and negative attitudes. This project addresses the need to assess bias from the clinician’s perspective and the construction of a scale to measure this bias. This population experiences bias and stigma from society and is at risk for harm if they experience that bias from the clinician whom they are seeking help from. My hope is that this scale will aid in raising awareness to this issue, reduce stigma, and thus reduce harm within the treatment of this population.
Faculty Mentor
Jerry Palmer, PhD
Department Affiliation
Psychology
Committee Member
Theresa Botts, PhD
Department Affiliation
Psychology
Committee Member
Dustin Wygant, PhD
Department Affiliation
Psychology
Copyright
2021 Crystal D McDowell
Recommended Citation
McDowell, Crystal D. and McDowell, Crystal Dawn, "Harming the Help-Seeking: Necessity for Assessing Harmful and Biased Attitudes Toward Clients with Substance Use Disorder" (2021). Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects. 16.
https://encompass.eku.edu/psych_doctorals/16
Included in
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Clinical Psychology Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Social Work Commons
