Browsing by Author "Nickel, Allison"

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    Compassion Fatigue in Staff at LGBTQ+ Substance Use Recovery Center
    (2023-05-01) Nickel, Allison; Van Antwerp, Leah; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Connaughty, Todd
    Individuals working in recovery from substance use disorders (SUD) have a high risk for developing compassion fatigue (CF) due to high job demands and frequent exposure to client trauma. Pride Institute, an LGBTQ+ SUD recovery facility reported to have a high level of compassion fatigue. This was further explored with a screening measure, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL 5), to measure levels of compassion satisfaction (CS), secondary traumatic stress (STS), and burnout in staff. Between the surveys, staff received educational resources and had the opportunity to participate in a weekly group session to practice coping strategies. The ProQOL 5 was used as an outcome measure for intervention effectiveness, along with qualitative questions about perceived helpfulness and meaningfulness of the project. A significant decrease in STS occurred between the initial and final surveys (p = .02). Findings were inconclusive on whether the improvement was due to education and weekly groups due to their being a significantly lower level of STS in non-participants compared to participants (p = .05). However, the qualitative survey responses demonstrate promise towards their effectiveness, and the higher participant level of STS may be due to interventions reaching the staff members most in need. Further research is warranted to determine best practice for long-term programs toward CF resiliency.
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    Healing the Body and Mind: Sensory and Somatic Interventions for Interpersonal Trauma
    (2021-05-05) Nickel, Allison; Brooks, Emma; Flores, Jessica; Loeser, Madison; Richason, Hannah; Chase, Anthony; Petrenchik, Terry; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
    In this rapid systematic review, research literature was investigated to evaluate sensory and somatic interventions that aid in the recovery of interpersonal traumatic experiences. This review included the evaluation of creativity-based (art, dance, music), mindfulness, neurofeedback, and emerging therapy interventions (adventure, play, resilience, neurophysiological psychotherapy). Many individuals who have been exposed to one or more traumatic events will experience a variety of side effects or consequences that will impact the rest of their lives. Survivors often experience imbalances in their psychological as well as their physical wellbeing. These imbalances are often presented in different aspects of life as well as in various parts of the body. Yet, there is little research to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that are sensory and somatic based. The majority of our overall review indicate that there is moderate to strong evidence to support sensory and somatic based interventions used to aid in the recovery of those who have experienced an interpersonal traumatic event.