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Hi! I am writing a dissertation proposal for a study that relates to individual counseling with a population that has significant communication disabilities using augmentative and alternative communication technology. Basically no research has been done on my topic and I am getting ready to turn in a proposal but I don't have many people to give me feedback on it and provide some input as to research/interview questions, etc. Since it's a topic that hasn't been researched much I would really like to get some suggestions from people outside my immediate department, although my advisor doesn't know much about the topic either so I have very limited guidance from faculty. It's a qualitative study and I could really use some input on the proposal before I turn it in, so let me know if you're willing to look at it and I will send you a link. I don't want to just post it on here as I was told it could be stolen and sold... or whatever bad things people can do to it. Anyway, if you think the topic is interesting and you have some research expertise and could give me some pointers I would really, really appreciate it. Thanks!!

What are you talking about? And I could still use feedback...

Hi, I am putting together and practicing writing some dissertation proposal ideas in abstract form; I hope to present some to faculty and could use help making them better before they get turned in. For this one I could really use help picking a methodology or if this is appropriate, better describing the stats. I am not looking to develop some kind of model of technology use so I'm not sure if using this method is best, or I feel I should say how it will be analyzed/used in the end somehow also. Basically what I am interested in is to get the perspective from psychologists if some models of long-term care are better than others for supporting the use of technology (like they provide the wi-fi, ipads, their direct line staff have the time to actually set them up when residents need them), to find out what software and how often Psychologists use in therapy and recommended for client use between sessions, and the kind of technology Psychologists use to do business. On some of the newer "visiting multidisciplinary teams" Psychologists don't have offices in a facility where residents are all day too; they drive to a home-like setting to see individual clients when there is need. So the way technology is used to assess, interpret results of testing, and where/how electronic records are stored/used is different in newer models than traditional institutionalized settings. A lot of these Psychologists consult so basically I suspect they keep a lot of their documents on home computers and use technology to stay connected to their discipline and engage in ongoing training as well. So anyway here is the abstract, any help is appreciated so much!! Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how Counseling Psychologists use technology in different models/types of long-term care. Possible research questions include: Where does psychological testing/analysis take place that requires a computer in the various models? To what extent do Counseling Psychologists use universal design (available to anyone) technology or technology specifically designed with the needs of older adults in mind and various accommodations? What kind of barriers to using technology therapeutically do Counseling Psychologists encounter in different models of care? Where do they inform themselves of evidence-based technology interventions and how do they use technology to manage their work roles as well (as most nursing home Psychologists contract). What kind of support do Psychologists perceive from the discipline and professional organizations for using technology effectively in long-term care? For what presenting problems do Counseling Psychologists consider the use of technology, and how do they determine if a resident is a good candidate? Method: A method of phenomenology (Creswell, 2006) will be implemented. A minimum of 10 qualitative interviews will be conducted with Psychologists working in long-term care to gather descriptions of how they use technology in therapy, in official work roles, and for continuing education. Participants will be recruited from aging-related APA divisions and organizations like Psychologists in Long-Term Care. Support/Significance: Culture change is radically redesigning the work teams and environments in which Counseling Psychologists who pursue a career in long-term care work (Rabig et al. 2006). Many “smart homes” are being built to support smart technologies and more tech-savvy older adults are entering nursing homes, making the use of technology by Counseling Psychologists in long-term care more likely. People of all ages are using the internet, cell phones and other technologies to communicate with family and friends in new and exciting ways; given limited opportunities to make friends inherent in some nursing home models, such as those that only allow 10-12 residents per home, using the internet may be the only way some older residents in nursing home stay in contact with others who share their interests. Current trends from the field of mental health and gerontology indicate technology integration is long-term care is a topic of interest. For example, the recent conference hosted by APA’s Session on Aging Issues (2014) presented symposiums and discussions on topics like Technology Interventions for Aging, Geropsychology, Technology, and Tomorrow, and Social Media and Internet Mediated Technology in Long-Term Care. The conference also included a symposium on Counseling Psychology in Long-Term Care – A Need for Integration. As Counseling Psychologists continue to integrate more technology into their work in long-term care settings, understanding how they use technology will help prepare the field better integrate technology in long-term care settings in a future that will continue to call for such integration.

Hi all, I am trying to put together a few dissertation proposals about abstract-length. Can I please get some feedback on this one; especially I need help for making it well connected and relevant to my discipline (counseling psychology) and describing methodology and stats in a way that makes sense before turning in to faculty. There are some either/or in there because they are things I would like to discuss with faculty or am open to input on, but please if you have feedback on how to better differentiate between options in there include that feedback too! Thank you so much!! Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate if technologies that help older adults stay connected are better accepted by residents and CNA’s (certified nursing assistants) in Green Homes (or culture change models) than in traditional nursing homes. Method: Gather demographic information for elderly and CNA’s (certified nursing assistants) in a traditional nursing home and in a culture change facility (like the six local Green Homes). Provide a training about universal design (available to all) technology like in here: http://www.eldercare.gov/ELDERCARE.NET/Public/Resources/Brochures/docs/N4A_Tech_Brochure_P06_high.pdf and therapeutic aspects of using such media. After this training (in-person workshop so elderly and CNA’s can practice), collect data (either qualitative and/or quantitative) on willingness to use or on patterns of actual use of the technology in the different settings. A pre-test, post-test experimental design can be implemented to test whether participants in Green Homes or traditional settings are more likely to use/support technology after the training; follow up interview questions after the data is collected can also be utilized by using a mixed methods research design (Hanson et al. 2005), like through a sequential explanatory design (Ivankova et al. 2006) to better understand why residents and/or CNA’s are more comfortable using or supporting the use of technology interventions in one type of facility (traditional nursing home) than the other (culture change model). Several demographic variables will be analyzed to see if they are predictive of openness to use or support the use of technology as well. Support/Significance: The Green House Project of nursing homes aims to embrace ‘‘smart house’’ technology by using “a wide range of prosthetic, communication, and educational devices, including interactive television to bring remote family into video contact with elders,” however, the implementation of technology in the Green Homes has been relatively slow (Rabig et al. 2006). These technologies can be used therapeutically to combat loneliness and stay meaningfully engaged. Increasingly older adults utilize the internet, social media and cell phones to communicate and receive information and Counseling Psychologists are integrating technology interventions into their practice more and more. Connecting with people outside the residence may be particularly important in these home-like settings that only house up to 12 residents as there are also less opportunities to make friends in these environments. I could really use some help making this into an abstract proposal I can turn in; and preparing for questions faculty might have for me about it. Publication bibliography Hanson, William E.; Creswell, John W.; Clark, Vicki L. Plano; Petska, Kelly S.; Creswell, J. David (2005): Mixed methods research designs in counseling psychology. In Journal of Counseling Psychology 52 (2), pp. 224–235. DOI: 10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.224 . Ivankova, Nataliya V.; Creswell, John W.; Stick, Sheldon L. (2006): Using mixed-methods sequential explanatory design: From theory to practice. In Field Methods 18 (1), pp. 3–20. Rabig, Judith; Thomas, William; Kane, Rosalie A.; Cutler, Lois J.; McAlilly, Steve (2006): Radical Redesign of Nursing Homes: Applying the Green House Concept in Tupelo, Mississippi. In The Gerontologist 46 (4), pp. 533–539.

Hi! I am looking for some help putting together a dissertation topic that fits somewhere among this literature/topics and for the field of Counseling Psychology. Here is some literature from various sources as context and then below I’ll ask some questions: From a Long-Term care model of care that embraces “culture change,” the intent among many culture change facilities is to implement technology but it doesn’t always work out well: The Green House was to embrace ‘‘smart house’’ technology and use a wide range of prosthetic, communication, and educational devices, including interactive television to bring remote family into video contact with elders (Rabig et al. 2006). The use of assistive technology is thus far limited to the lifts, partly because of costs and partly because it is felt that experience in the houses was needed in order to determine what technology was necessary (Rabig et al. 2006). Here are some topics from some symposiums and posters/papers at the last Aging Issues APA Annual Convention: Symposium: Technology Interventions for Aging, African American, and Hispanic/Latino Clinical Populations Symposium: Geropsychology, Technology, and Tomorrow Software Interface: Angela Discussion: Social Media and Internet Mediated Technology in Long-Term Care Symposium: Counseling Psychology and Long-Term Care---A Need for Integration Basically I would like to do a dissertation that encourages use of social networking or webcams for elderly to keep in touch with family/friends in long-term care; the focus can be on the family, the patients, the CNA’s, or all three. For example, one idea would be to see whether a basic training on how to use common social networking (definitions and basics inspired by a document like this Staying Connected Technology Options for Older Adults http://www.eldercare.gov/ELDERCARE.NET/Public/Resources/Brochures/docs/N4A_Tech_Brochure_P06_high.pdf) would be more successful than the use of a particular bundled option designed specifically for an elderly population in LTC to be used by family and elderly and supported by staff. A possible software would be: http://independa.com/products/angela/ Our software interface is delivered to the care recipient through a friendly, simple user interface called Angela. Angela offers a fun and inviting antidote to the number one issue for the elderly looking to remain independent: social isolation. Featuring an expertly designed and easy to use, intuitive interface, Angela comes ready to use with larger screen fonts, higher contrast and brighter colors geared to the needs of the elderly. By interacting with Angela embedded on the TV or tablet, care recipients have easy and effortless access to: • Video chat • Integrated health information • Important appointment reminders • Games • Medication reminders • Easy family photo and message sharing • Community events and dining options • And more Angela is available for televisions or tablets Some questions are: How might I structure a study like this to be grounded in Counseling Psychology but also have a Gerontology and Organizational components? Would it be a good idea to measure a) CNA’s willingness/behavior of or intent to use software after an intervention b ) the Elderly’s intent or actual behavior, or c) family members intent/behavior d) loneliness/social connectedness. I am thinking of a sort of training for CNA’s and family members on learning to use and practicing to use a variety of software readily available to all (skype, webcam, in Green Homes using the technology the home claims to supply or a particular kind of bundled service like the Angela above, and testing which one results in better adherence or intent to want to use technology later. I need some ideas for what would be appropriate for a dissertation. What kind of integration do you think this kind of study would take and to what extent should I justify/ provide support for this integration (so the focus stays clearly on Counseling Psych)? Recruiting and measuring three different groups though would be much more difficult than just one. I don’t need to actually test an intervention; any recommendations for other research questions appropriate for a Counseling Psych dissertation that relate to supporting the use of technology for social connectedness in LTC would be appreciated. I have access to Green Homes nearby and it's a culture change model that values technology use. Publication bibliography Rabig, Judith; Thomas, William; Kane, Rosalie A.; Cutler, Lois J.; McAlilly, Steve (2006): Radical Redesign of Nursing Homes: Applying the Green House Concept in Tupelo, Mississippi. In The Gerontologist 46 (4), pp. 533–539. Available online at 10.1093/geront/46.4.533 .

I finished all my coursework for the PhD but there is one little problem that I need to address, and I am looking for help on how to do it most diplomatically. Essentially what happened was that I had three courses that were still to be taken by me on my Program of Studies when it as signed and submitted by my co-advisors; two of the classes I either took or took an equivalent of at a different campus, but they were both essentially the same class. The thrid one though was structural equation modeling at a campus 40 minutes outside of town which I was going to take to prepare me for my dissertation; since then one advisor recommended against SEM and the other agreed my taking a dissertation proposal class was a good idea, but techically I don't have an email or anything to show that they approved me not taking that course. I did meet with my primary advisor over the past year and he knows I dropped the SEM course and took a local proposal development class instead; in fact I submitted him a copy of the proposal from that class already. I also sent him an email a few months ago detailing the changes to my program of studies so he can send an email to the grad school to record the changes, (one of the changes was his idea so it had to change, it's not just because of the other two changes) but he didn't send that email and now the topic has come up again. I again detailed to him the changes so he could send to the grad school office, but he particularly wrote me back asking if him or the other advisor approved that SEM change. Any advice on how to respond? Technically they didn't approve it directly related to the class; they both said it wasn't a class I really need and supported the other class, but at the time I didn't really understand the process and the explicit permission required to undertake this change. Now I have to answer for it. Does anyone have any recommendations for how to answer him to maximize the chances they will approve the substitution in classes I already made? Thanks!

My school gave me a loans refund in August, and now I find out they have done a number of "adjustments" and want over $5000 back. I have used the money and do not have to give it back. This has never happened to me before and I know they must have done something wrong (I did not change my schedule or drop any classes after I originally registered); the adjustments were made because of a fellowship neither they nor I knew I was receiving, but was applied, and because my classes are online and not on campus. That fellowship was only supposed to be given out for my first four years and I am in my 5th year now. Is there any way I can get them to not ask for money back at this point? Once they gave me the loans refund refund I thought it was mine to keep/use; are they allowed to come back months later and say they want $ back? What can I do to find out (since they won't just tell me) what/where in the process the school might have messed up with the calculations/timing? It seems odd to me that they would cut the refund check so early and then months later say try to take so much back - it seems the process of sending out refunds should not occur until fellowships and status of classes are taken into account (like I said I never changed my schedule from the very start). Thanks!

My school gave me a loans refund in August, and now I find out they have done a number of "adjustments" and want over $5000 back. I have used the money and do not have to give it back. This has never happened to me before and I know they must have done something wrong (I did not change my schedule or drop any classes after I originally registered); the adjustments were made because of a fellowship neither they nor I knew I was receiving, but was applied, and because my classes are online and not on campus. Is there any way I can get them to not ask for money back at this point? Once they gave me the loans refund refund I thought it was mine to keep/use; are they allowed to come back months later and say they want $ back? What can I do to find out (since they won't just tell me) what/where in the process the school might have messed up with the calculations/timing? It seems odd to me that they would cut the refund check so early and then months later say try to take so much back - it seems the process of sending out refunds should not occur until fellowships and status of classes are taken into account (like I said I never changed my schedule from the very start). It is loan money I will have to pay back anyway but right now I am in school and simply do not have it to pay back. I am 5 years into a PhD so it's not like I can just walk away and without paying it they will not let me register and would not let me pick up a diploma. Thanks!

I am thinking of applying for this: Society of Consulting Psychology’s 2013-2014 Small Grants Competition http://www.scptcp.org/2013/10/13-14smallgrants/ I am PhD student in Counseling Psychology; I also have an MBA and Graduate Certificates in Developmental Disabilities and Gerontology. Also, I am nearing dissertation time, and it seems as though students in my situation are welcome to apply. Any recommendations for being awarded such a grant would be appreciated. Are there any topics/subjects that you would recommend I look at exploring, especially that involves Gerontology (one of my committee members teaches Programs and Services for the Elderly and is a Gerontology prof)? Where would you start and what are some things you would do to prepare for applying for a grant like this? Thanks! Empathy

It might work in your favor, actually. I actually got into a program the second time around, and they are the ones who denied me at first. I took to improving my GRE scores and increased them by 100 points, and continued to work on research in the field for the year I was out of school. Then I reapplied and got in. You have an advantage because your application was good enough the first time; it wasn't denied because of concerns you needed to remediate. The thing is, your declining can signal that you know your limits and you do what you have to do to ensure when you do take something on, you can actually commit to it. Just let them know you did not want to come in with a brand new baby and move your family so soon after having a child, but now you are ready. They will appreciate it because many students feel that a "once in a lifetime" opportunity must be taken no matter what, and then they show up even if they are unprepared and do not do well. Hopefully what did you will demonstarte maturity and descernment, and that could stand out in a positive way. Good luck and I am impressed by what you did, hopefully they will be too.

Hello! I was a fourth year PhD student in Counseling Psychology when my adviser decided I was not a good fit for the program. I was new to this state, new to marriage, and did not know anybody here. I had made a good connection with one faculty member who was going to advise me, and she quit when I arrived and moved away for another job. My time in the Counseling department has been difficult; the adviser I was left with was the chair of the department and we had no similar interests. I tried to align more with him and proposed several ideas for dissertation that included concepts of interest to him, but unfortunately we never quite succeeded working together. I also made the mistake in second year of criticizing one of the books he had assigned for class; I missed the session where he told everybody that the book was written by his former mentor and best friend, and because I did not know this I did not word the reaction paper quite as tactfully as I should. He gave me a grade of Enough! on the paper, unfortunately, and although he and I never talked about it, he has never really brought me “into the fold” so to speak, as he has the other students in my cohort. Anyway, the other two faculty members are young and very new, and difficulties in working with my adviser also weakened my relationship with the other professors in the department. I have finished all but one course in Counseling Psychology. It would be a year-long course I would have left to take (Counselor Supervision), but still, just one class. Of course, I would have still had to do a dissertation and a year-long internship, so technically I did have about two more years to go before I was finished with my degree. The program was pretty intense and I had few supports here, and I also had some medical problems that plagued me over the past couple of years. I got a several incompletes but have completely caught up on and passed these classes for a while now, and I have completed all my Field Placement and Practicum hours, which have been quite a lot. Anyway, I have received positive reviews for my clinical practice hours and there have been no complaints of inappropriate conduct or boundary violation of any sort. I had to re-take a class and had to wait a year for it to be offered again, and in the meantime, in order to fill expected hours, I took advantage of the new Graduate Certificate in Aging my university had recently started offering. I have always had an interest in aging and my Field Placement at a local Rehabilitation Hospital, where counseled primarily older patients, was very rewarding. My interest in Gerontology increased tremendously as a result of this experience and I find myself now two classes away from finishing the Graduate Certificate in Aging as well. The silver lining here is that my adviser in Counseling Psychology has agreed to help me transfer to the Gerontology PhD program, if they will have me. He has even pledged to write a support letter attesting to my strengths, and said the only thing he will write about my leaving that program was that it simply wasn’t a good fit. Here is where I need your help. I have a meeting coming up with a professor in the Gerontology department to talk about the possible transfer. He not only taught one of the courses I took last year, but he had agreed to serve on my dissertation committee as the outside member. He will not be playing that role, however, I am seriously considering asking him to be my adviser in the Gerontology Program. My experience in the Gerontology Department has been like the difference between night and day. The professors have been fabulous, compassionate, patient, and smart. I have done very well in all the Gero classes I have taken and connected well with the professors. I really, really hope to get in, not only to salvage my PhD degree, which I have worked four years for, but to get the honor to study under these wonderful folks. I did well in the class with the professor I am going to meet with next week, but I didn’t do as phenomenally as I would have had I known there was a possibility I would appeal to him to this extent. The year was rough for me as it was because I was having medical issues and the difficulties with my previous adviser were becoming seriously worrisome. I had lost a lot of confidence and was ashamed for having done poorly in some classes the year before; one thing you should know is that I came with a 4.0 GPA in my Masters degree. I also have an MBA and a Graduate Certificate in Developmental Disabilities – if there was one area in which I had strong self-efficacy, it was in academics. The loss of confidence and the stress I was going through no doubt showed somewhat in class as well, however this professor has been incredibly kind and I want to do all I can to increase my chances of getting into the Gerontology PhD program. At this point I do not know much at all about what it will take. My Counseling Psychology adviser urged me to try and get accepted by the Fall semester, however he did agree to let me stay enrolled in the program (although not in classes) a while longer if needed until I get into another department. He won’t keep me forever though and I too want to see the switch happen as soon as possible. I do not know how it will work or what the new department will ask me to do, however I do know it will not be a traditional application process given that they know I would like to transfer preferably by Fall. I doubt they will ask me to retake the GRE but I would not be surprised if I have to provide letters of recommendation and even a personal statement. Where I need help is in how to approach this upcoming meeting and how to conduct myself to maximize my chances of getting in. Some of my more specific questions are as follows: - What should I tell him about how things ended in the old department? How much detail should I share and how do I not badmouth anybody but also not sound like I am just saying “what you would expect.” If I just say it was a bad fit he will no doubt wonder why it wasn’t and whether there is anything about me that might make me difficult to work with. - What kind of questions should I ask him? I want to ask him about how many classes I many need to take and how long it may take, but I’m not sure if I should ask about mentorship, the dissertation, and other topics. - Should I ask if I may be able to get my Field Placement requirement for the Gerontology department waived because of my extensive client contact with geriatric patients in my Field Placement in the Counseling Psych program, or is it too early? - Should I say I have some dissertation ideas or leave it open for now? I am coming in rather late in the game and I do not know if it would make them feel more reassured to take a chance on me if I have some dissertation ideas or whether it will make them more apprehensive. On one hand they may fear I will never find a good topic and on the other they may fear I am going to stubbornly insist on a topic they are not interested in. I know I can just say these ideas are open to revision or even replacement but I have difficulty approaching this with confidence because this kind of negotiation has been a nightmare in the Counseling Psychology department. I am compromised and I cannot tell what’s reasonable. - Should I ask him about research assistantships? My scholarship has ended after four years here and as of next semester I would be charged full out-of-state tuition if I don’t have an RA position. - How much should I share about my medical issues that have made my previous years difficult? The situation has been resolved but it was a rather personal situation and I am not very comfortable talking about it, especially with a younger guy, even if he is a professor. On one hand it may help him understand my difficulties in the past (prior incompletes and the class I took over), on the other it may make him feel uncomfortable too, and on the third, it may not be as consistent with the whole "not a good fit" component which I may want to emphasize. - I am currently the president of a Psychology of gender student organization, a position I will hold for another year possibly until another president is voted in. This organization has primarily been housed in the Counseling Psychology department but the faculty mentor for this organization said it should be no problem if I continued to be president while in the Gero department. In a recent meeting, I mentioned my interest in a topic related to gender and senior housing, and several members of the organization expressed interest in potentially doing some research related to the topic over the next year. Should I say anything about this in the meeting and how should I go about talking about it? This professor and I had discussed how we would both like to see the two departments come closer together and collaborate more given the need for mental health services in the aging field and especially given that the new Graduate Certificate program would provide a way for more Counseling Psychology students to specialize in Aging. Coming in while president of an organization primarily made up of students in the Counseling department can be a way through which the departments establish more solid ties. - Finally, I could use any tips for departing well with the previous department. It is sad what happened but it has not all been bad. I appreciate the opportunity they gave me and would like to keep good ties with the department as a whole. As you can I see I have a lot to think about in preparation for this meeting. Please give me any advice and suggestions you see fit; I appreciate your time and thank you for any guidance.

I really need to find someone who knows about Consensual Qualitative Research to look over a 20 page proposal I wrote and give me some feedback. I have general as well as specific questions, like in regards to how I described the research method and addressed issues related to validity, as well as citation related questions and data analysis steps. I don't know what I could do in return but I would be willing to work for it; I could edit some other paper or provide some other service... we can work it out. It is in the field of Counseling Psychology and in APA format. Thank you!! PS. Do you know of any sites where grad students exchange papers for editing/feedback and discuss their writing projects as they go, hopefully with others knowledgeable in their field?? PPS. I'm posting this in here and in Writing; not sure which one it belongs in but I am going to check back in a little bit and if anyone tells me it belongs in one forum over another I'll delete the other post.

I really need to find someone who knows about Consensual Qualitative Research to look over a 20 page proposal I wrote and give me some feedback. I have general as well as specific questions, like in regards to how I described the research method and addressed issues related to validity, as well as citation related questions and data analysis steps. I don't know what I could do in return but I would be willing to work for it; I could edit some other paper or provide some other service... we can work it out. It is in the field of Counseling Psychology and in APA format. Thank you!! PS. Do you know of any sites where grad students exchange papers for editing/feedback and discuss their writing projects as they go, hopefully with others knowledgeable in their field?? PPS. I'm posting this in here and in Writing; not sure which one it belongs in but I am going to check back in a little bit and if anyone tells me it belongs in one forum over another I'll delete the other post.