Topic

1

TOPIC SELECTION: FIND A GAP EXAMPLE

Topic Selection: Find a Gap Example

Student Name

Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies,

Author Note

Student Name

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Student Name

Email: [email protected]

Topic Selection: Find a Gap Example

1) First Topic of Interest (One Research Question):

Addiction Students: Does trauma-focused CBT therapy (TF-CBT) affect complex PTSD (CPTSD) among youth exposed to parent addiction?

MFT Students: Does trauma-focused CBT therapy (TF-CBT) affect complex PTSD (CPTSD) among youth exposed to parents experiencing a contentious divorce?

Gap Statement: According to Jensen et al. (2022),

“The use of TF-CBT has been found to reduce symptoms of CPTSD among youth; however further studies are needed to understand the risk of early termination and with larger sample sizes. ” (p. 8).

Reference

Jensen, T. K., Braathu, N., Birkeland, M. S., Ormhaug, S. M., & Skar, A. S. (2022). Complex

PTSD and treatment outcomes in TF-CBT for youth: A naturalistic study. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 13(2), https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2022.2114630

This article researched whether TF-CBT reduced symptoms of CPTSD among 73 youth. The results of this study concluded that treatment with TF-CBT can be beneficial to youth by reducing symptoms of CPTSD and the duration of the counseling treatment.

2) Second Topic of Interest (One Research Question):

Addiction Students: Does animal-assisted therapy affect parenting among women incarcerated due to addiction?

MFT Students: Does animal-assisted therapy affect parenting among women incarcerated and with a family?

Gap Statement: “With a significant number of children in the US with incarcerated parents, there is a need for evidence-based treatment to help incarcerated mothers re-establish health relationships with their children (Collica-Cox & Day, 2022, p. 609).

Reference

Collica-Cox, K., & Day, G. J. (2022). When dogs make the difference: Jail-based parenting with

and without animal-assisted therapy. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 33(6), 608-638. https://doi.org/10.1177/08874034211063455

This article explores the idea of animal assisted therapy (AAT) for incarcerated women to help them reestablish a relationship with their children. The study concluded that there is encouraging evidence that AAT improves the parent and child relationship.

Third Topic of Interest (One Research Question):

Addiction Students: Does spirituality affect mental health among college students struggling with alcoholism?

MFT Students: Does spirituality affect mental health among college students from families with a history of alcoholism?

Gap Statement: “Generalizability of the results of the present study is limited due to looking at more colleges and including faith-based institutions.” (Nonis et al., 2024, p. 232).

Reference

Nonis, S. A., Hudson, G. I., & Hunt, C. S. (2024). Mental health among college students:

Relationships with Actively Open-Minded Thinking, Spirituality, and Psychological Wellbeing. Journal of Education for Business, 99(4), 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2023.2299434

This article researched the relationship between spirituality, open-minded thinking, and psychological well-being, and how these factors impact each other. The researchers concluded that discovering the meaning of life can be an important factor in improving overall well-being and related symptomology.