Amanda Kracen

National College of Ireland · Psychology

Studying abroad provides many benefits for students; beyond academic learning, it offers an opportunity for students to explore their understanding of themselves and others in a global context. LGBTQIA+ students study abroad and may do so at greater rates than cisgender and straight students. However, there is a paucity of research to inform inclus...

Despite significant and increasing numbers of students studying internationally, there are few data about the experiences of study abroad for various marginalized students, including transgender and gender expansive (TGE) students. Therefore, 15 TGE adults from the United States were interviewed about navigating gender and culture during undergradu...

Given the prevalence and distress associated with a cancer diagnosis, the training of psycho-oncology providers to meet the mental health needs of cancer survivors warrants investigation. Clinical supervision is a key teaching strategy for psychology trainees, particularly during a postdoctoral fellowship when trainees are gaining specialized train...

The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) 2017 position statement drew attention to the need to address cancer care disparities experienced by sexual and gender minority populations (SGM). In response to the ongoing disparities in cancer care faced by sexual and gender minorities, we adapt the Multicultural Orientation (MCO) framework as a...

Purpose Clinical supervision is a common pedagogical practice, but one that has received little scrutiny. This descriptive study examined the state of supervision in psycho-oncology in the United States. We were interested in learning more about how supervision is being conducted to better understand how training and clinical supervision can be imp...

These authors contributed equally to this work. According to Abrams and Ziegler (2016), the field of psychology is profoundly affected by a number of global social concerns, including environmental, migration, and global health issues; this calls for increased cultural sensitivity and understanding among psychology professionals. Such a disciplinar...

Objective Many who choose to work in oncology manage an ongoing tension – the work is rewarding, yet simultaneously challenging. Given the need for psychosocial professionals to provide treatment for the increasing number of cancer survivors in our aging society, it is important to consider what helps and hinders professionals in their work. Theref...

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Cancer centers have adopted a holistic approach to cancer treatment to better meet the psychosocial needs of cancer survivors. However, the current number of psychosocial providers in oncology is inadequate to meet the growing demand and psychosocial providers may face barriers in accessing oncology-specific training. The current study aims to expl...

As gender is socially constructed, gender a ttitudes, expressions, expectations and identities may differ based on their sociocultural contexts. This project sought to understand interactions between gender and culture through the experiences of three undergraduate study abroad students who are tra ns and/or gender expansive. Utilizing the thematic...

This article utilises a dialogical approach to explore the potential of autoethnography as a research method for counselling psychology while using the method to reflect on what it means to have influence as a researcher. We use a collaborative autoethnographical approach to explore the themes of influence, curiosity, rich insight and sincerity. We...

Objective: Alopecia is a common side effect of cancer treatment, affecting approximately 65% of patients. Healthcare providers and allied staff recognize that alopecia is distressing for people with cancer; however, they are often unaware of the extent of distress or the great efforts expended by patients to cope with hair loss. This study reviews...

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is comprised of 25 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers and arguably could thus set the standard for optimal psychosocial staffing for cancer centers; therefore, information was sought from NCCN Member Institutions about their current staffing for psychosocial services. These findings...

Resilience is a construct addressed in the psycho-oncology literature and is especially relevant to cancer survivorship. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for resilience that is specific to adults diagnosed with cancer. To establish the proposed model, a brief review of the various definitions of resilience and of the resilience liter...

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) combat Veterans are at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many are seeking treatment from the Veterans Health Administration; yet, it is an ongoing challenge to engage some Veterans in sustained mental health services, especially group therapy for PTSD. This...

Professional cancer caregivers work with patients who are ill and vulnerable. Caregivers have opportunities to support and care for patients, and hopefully, to offer comfort and healing. However, as a result of the empathy and personal involvement they bring to their jobs, compassion fatigue (CF) is a common professional challenge. Recognizing that...

Increased fruit and vegetable intake can reduce cancer risk. Information from this study contributes to research exploring health disparities in high-risk dietary behavior. Changes in fruit and vegetable behavior were evaluated to assess the effects of a low-intensity, physician-endorsed dietary intervention in a rural population. The study was a r...

Vicarious traumatization (VT) refers to harmful changes that occur in professionals’ views of themselves, others, and the world, as a result of exposure to the graphic and/or traumatic material of their clients. Secondary traumatic stress (STS) refers to a set of psychological symptoms that mimic post-traumatic stress disorder, but is acquired thro...

This manual is the result of our experience in establishing a peer support programme during the last three years. It is a practical resource to be drawn from, and not an exact blueprint for peer support training. We hope you will find this manual accessible and useful. The materials will most likely need to be added to, subtracted from and adapted...