Susan Stuntzner

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley / University of Providence

Disability is an event that forever changes a person’s life. Throughout the coping and adaptation process, many experience negative thoughts and feelings such as anger, anxiety, depression, and multiple forms of frustration. Some of these may be related to a disability, while others are by-products of the negative experiences, attitudes, and treatm...

Forgiveness and self-forgiveness is an area of growing interest in the allied helping professions. In recent years, the study of forgiveness has been expanded to a number of different populations. However, forgiveness as a construct, a model of understanding to cope with difficult and hurtful people, and as an intervention has not been fully consid...

Due to the complexities involved in coping with a disability and the lack of resources available in assisting families, I felt a book such as this was necessary. I wrote this book with the intention of covering a broader base of potential family needs. While it is not possible to cover specific needs for every single disability type or condition, t...

This is a resiliency intervention developed by the authors and researchers. Presently, it is undergoing pilot-testing at selected sites Preliminary data show that this intervention significantly increases forgiveness, resilience, and adjustment to disability and decreases depression and anxiety. Professionals interested in purchasing this manual ma...

Understanding and working with culturally diverse populations is an important component of counseling and allied helping professions. Many professionals receive some training as a part of their graduate programs on multiculturalism, but this is only the beginning and typically scratches the surface. From this point, professionals are expected to co...

People who live with a disability are faced with the prospect of adjusting to the disability and its associated life experiences. Many people encounter negative and hurtful situations such as unemployment, lack of adequate resources, changes in relationships and social support, negative societal attitudes, bias, and discrimination, and so forth. Wo...

Abstract Resilience is an area of emerging interest and applies to people living with a disability.1–3 However, research suggests that few, if any, resilience interventions have been developed and facilitated among people with disabilities.4–6 To address this void and assist people with disabilities in building resilience-based skills, Stuntzner a...

Invited book chapter to be included in upcoming text, "Handbook for Cultural Factors in Behavioral Health: A Guide for the Helping Professional." Disability is a term often viewed negatively and with inaccurate assumptions. Many of these perceptions, while typically unfounded and incorrect, have been an embedded part of our society for many years....

Information is derived from a pilot-study among persons with disabilities who took part in a 10-module resilience intervention (i.e. Stuntzner & Hartley's Life Enhancement Intervention: Building Resilience Following a Disability). Content of the article focuses on two specific case studies.

Publication can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jrc.2019.13

Throughout the past 25 years, forgiveness has been a part of psychology and studied within many populations. However, forgiveness has not been considered nor promoted as a helpful skill or approach when counseling persons with disabilities or in the rehabilitation counseling/psychology profession at large. In an effort to change this trend by educa...

Abstract Persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are among the most traumatic onset of disabilities to date. Due to the nature of spinal cord injury and how it affects the person’s life and psychosocial adjustment, there are a multitude of feelings, changes, persons, situations, and transgressions that needs to be resolved and forgiven. In an effor...

BACKGROUND: Resilience and resilience cultivation are essential for people going through life-changing events such as learning to live with a disability. Resilience is an important skill for persons with disabilities and the job development process. Part of this is related to the fact that people with disabilities are asked to cope with their condi...

J. Schafer and J. Navarro (2016). Advanced Interviewing Techniques: Proven Strategies for Law Enforcement, Military, and Security Personnel (Third Edition). Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas Publisher, LTD. ISBN: 978-0-398-09123-1, 195 pp. - Volume 25 Issue 1 - Susan Stuntzner

Resilience is a topic of growing interest with significant momentum generated by the Positive Psychology Movement. While resilience has been discussed at the graduate level and beyond, few articles seem to openly discuss how it is addressed as a part of undergraduate rehabilitation service programs. Discussion and careful consideration is needed as...

Manuscript will be published in the 2018 Summer issue of Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling - Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 49(2), 48-49.

Invited manuscript submitted for Counseling Today. Article is based on a presentation given at the 2017 American Counseling Association Conference. This article was accepted and is published in the July issues of Counseling Today.

This publication will come out in the Summer issue of the Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling.

For many, disability may ignite feelings of grief, sadness, loss, and/or emotional pain. Others discover they harbor negative or self-critical thoughts and beliefs (i.e., blame) which compounds and complicates the personal coping process. Adjustment to disability models exist to help persons with disabilities and professionals understand or explain...

Abstract: Resilience is an area of emerging interest among counselors, psychologists, and allied helping professionals. Much of this has occurred due to the advent of the Positive Psychology Movement. Despite this recent surge of interest, rehabilitation counseling has been well acquainted with factors and skills related to positive coping and adj...

Book review can be accessed at: http://files.constantcontact.com/a85b842b001/4bbed341-2f0e-45a6-8e3d-76c212ef5781.pdf

Inequalities regarding the mentorship of women with disabilities is clearly evident as little effort has been made to invest in mentorship of women with disabilities. This paper addresses the entoring needs of women with disabilities as they prepare for leadership roles. Societal expectations of women with disabilities are discussed, as well as bar...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disability and life experience that may suddenly, drastically, and forever change a person’s life. While psychosocial interventions and support services are typically integrated within the acute rehabilitation process, there is limited research on psychosocial interventions and support services after individuals have b...

Publication can also be found at: http://www.aaimedicine.com/blog/2015/09/the-mindful-path-to-self-compassion-freeing-yourself-from-destructive-thoughts-and-emotions/

Resilience is an area of increased interest to both counselors and scholars. Despite this attention, resilience is still relatively new and has yet to receive the attention it needs to be adequately applied to individuals with disabilities and their families. To date, some definitions of resilience abound and research has emerged to inform counselo...

Transition services are vitally important and an essential component of successful employment, career planning, self-determination, and independent living for students with disabilities. Public schools strive to meet the federal mandates placed upon them to help this group of students reach graduation and beyond. However, students with disabilities...

This is the power point from the 2015 ACA Pre-conference Learning Institute

Self-advocacy and self-compassion are concepts typically not perceived as related or as skills which hold great value when infused. Learning to self-advocate can be a challenging task for many persons with disabilities. Oftentimes people are not afforded access to information on how to self-advocate. As a result, many people must struggle to figure...

This was an article for the Coeur d'Alene Press. Citation: Stuntzner, S. (2015a, February 8). Forgiveness: A Vital Skills to Cope with Employment Issues. Coeur d’Alene Press, p. E1.

Forgiveness and compassion are two helpful approaches toward reducing the emotional, psychological, and spiritual anxiety brought about by negative and harmful experiences. Disability, forgiveness, and compassion are three terms which may not be thought of in relation to one another. The authors introduce the idea that the experience of living with...

Reflections from the Past Lessons is the second of three books. Attached is a presentation that will be available on u-tube in the coming weeks. This book and the other two are for persons with disabilities and the professionals working with them. These books are being used by the Counseling Association of India to educate counselors and helping pr...

Resiliency and Coping with Disability: The Family After is the third of three books. Attached is a presentation which will be on u-tube in the coming weeks. It gives an overview of the book and is intended for persons with disabilities, their families, and the professionals working with them. This book and the other two are being used by the Counse...

Resiliency and Coping with Disability: The Family After is the third of three books. Attached is a presentation which will be on u-tube in the coming weeks. It gives an overview of the book and is intended for persons with disabilities, their families, and the professionals working with them. This book and the other two are being used by the Counse...

Living with a Disability Finding Peace Amidst the Storm is the first of three books written pertaining to coping and adaptation to disability. The presentation posted was created for persons and professionals wanting to view what the book it is about. This presentation will be posted on u-tube in the future and the book is being used for CEU's and...

Sexuality and self-compassion are two concepts which have not been previously considered or combined when discussing the needs of women with disabilities. Sexuality, by itself, is a challenging topic for many counselors to address, let alone in combination with the needs of women with disabilities. Additionally, self-compassion is an emerging area...

Compassion and self-compassion are two constructs emerging within the research as useful agents in reducing negative thoughts, feelings, and outcomes while also promoting positive ones. To date, these constructs have not been studied or applied to the rehabilitation counseling profession or the needs of individuals with disabilities. In an effort t...

Disability is often misunderstood by counseling professionals and society. More often than not, persons without disability perceive it as a negative event and as something undesired, although this is not necessarily the experience or belief of many persons with a disability. Counselors that work with persons with disabilities and their families...

Learning to live with a disability can be a significant transition, and many individuals struggle with the complex challenge of examining how the disability will affect who they are and what their role is in society. Counseling professionals can play a key role in helping individuals address common psychological and social barriers associated with...

This is the power point for the 2014 ACA Pre-conference Learning Institute.

The sections and skills presented in this book are a compilation of areas sometimes discussed throughout the disability literature as factors thought to be associated with adjustment, coping, and resiliency combined with my personal experience of learning how to deal with and overcome various situations. This book is broken down into 10 areas that...

The heart and soul of this book was written to be a guide and to assist people who have encountered hard, gut-wrenching experiences, such as the acquisition of disability, in finding peace and happiness amidst the changes taking place in their lives. It may also be used as an educative resource for family members and professionals whose lives are i...

Previous research has demonstrated that forgiveness is helpful in reducing anger, depression, anxiety, and is positively correlated with self-esteem, hope, life satisfaction, and adjustment to disability. People who incur traumatic events such as spinal cord injury, often face immediate and drastic changes that forever alter the course of their liv...