Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Lived Experience Of Counseling Students In Natural Disaster, Amy M. Sirocky-Meck

Dissertations, 2020-current

After natural disaster, survivors may experience moderate to severe signs and symptoms of emotional distress which may subside or worsen as time passes (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2022). Adults pursuing higher education when natural disaster strikes experience an additional array of unique issues which may exacerbate symptoms of emotional distress (Wilkinson et al.,2013). To create and improve curricular and co-curricular structures that meet the needs of their students, educators in many health and mental health disciplines can draw from a variety of quantitative and qualitative studies, particularly those focused on how their disciplines’ students navigate the experience …

Affectionately Attached: The Impact Of Attachment Styles On Sexual Self-Concept Among Adults Who Identify As Lgbtgeqiap+, Karli M. Fleitas

Dissertations, 2020-current

The aim of this quantitative research study was to investigate the interplay between attachment orientation and subscales of sexual self-concept among an exclusively LGBTGEQIAP+ adult sample. A Pearson’s correlation coefficient was computed to examine attachment anxiety and avoidance with four subscales of sexual self-concept including, sexual motivation, sexual satisfaction, sexual consciousness, and sexual monitoring. The purpose of this study was two-fold—to compare findings with non-LGBTGEQIAP+ samples and provide new data. The relationships between attachment insecurity (i.e., anxious and avoidant attachment) and sexual motivation and satisfaction were compared to prior findings in the literature. Each test was statistically significant and negatively …

Affirmative And Integrative Counseling For Lgbtqia+ Individuals, Allison De Blois

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Counselors are ethically obligated to serve LGBTQIA+ clientele and therefore should strive to integrate an affirmative approach to counseling. A counselor may say that they are providing affirming care, however it is important to reflect on what affirming counseling is in application. To better serve LGBTQIA+ clientele, counselors may grow their affirmative counseling approach by being knowledgeable of historical considerations, evidenced-based approaches to implement, clinical recommendations for a counselor to implement, and considerations on advocacy practices and resources.

You Have Every Right To Be Angry: Impacts Of The Angry Black Woman Stereotype And Counseling Considerations For Helping Black Women Honor Their Anger, Jenelle Francis

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The Angry Black Woman (ABW) stereotype depicts Black women as hostile and aggressive. It is rooted in slavery and functions to silence and invalidate Black women. The ABW stereotype perpetuates racist ideology and is used to control the narrative of Black women and justify their mistreatment. Black women are faced with the impacts of the ABW stereotype throughout different areas of their life, beginning in childhood. Because of the risk of being negatively and inaccurately perceived, Black women have had to filter themselves to not be labeled as aggressive, hyperemotional, and/or the “angry” Black woman. This paper explores the history …

Equitable Counselor Education: Promoting A Sense Of Belonging In Master's Counseling Students, Jessica E. Mastrangelo

Dissertations, 2020-current

The discrepancies in racial and ethnic demographics between counselors, counselor educators, and the clients they seek to serve are prominent (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP], 2018). Mental health counseling and the field of psychology have a traditionally Eurocentric value system that has positioned the White population to benefit from services and to become clinicians. As such, the centering of the White experience has perpetuated a lack of diversity in the field. As the demographics of the United States population continues to diversify, counseling needs to produce a greater number of racially and ethnically minoritized counselors …

The Fetishization Of Asian American Women: Where We Are And Where To Go, Genevieve Askin

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Women of color in the United States suffer from hyper sexualization and fetishization, and Asian American (AA) women are no different. These racial microaggressions and normalized expressions of oppression based on both race/ethnicity and gender contribute to a distinct marginalization that women of color experience. This paper seeks to 1) explore the unique layers of oppression that AA women face, including combating the model minority myth, westernized beauty standards, and fetishization, as well as 2) address the difference in reception between the Stop Asian Hate movement and Black Lives Matter, while defining and critiquing the whitewashing of this field in …

Alcohol Use In Women: Resources And Recommendations For Counselors, Samantha Haling

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The research shows that alcohol use is rising rapidly among women, resulting in devastating consequences that have not been sufficiently explored in counselor education and training. This paper aims to address this by providing a review of the literature which shows that women are more vulnerable to many of the physical and mental health consequences of alcohol use than men, and that they have unique treatment needs and face gender-specific risk factors and barriers to treatment. The review examines the interaction between gender and alcohol use, summarizes the existing research on the physical and behavioral health consequences of alcohol use …

Weight And The Therapeutic Relationship: Implications For Counselors, Emily Shank

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Central to the healthcare system in the United States is the belief that weight is an accurate measure of health. This belief, which is the foundation of the Weight Centered Health Paradigm (WCHP), is linked to the proliferation of diets, weight cycling, and weight stigma. However, a growing body of research indicates that higher weight is not necessarily linked to negative health outcomes and that the impact of weight cycling and weight stigma pose far greater risks to health. Counselors and other mental health professionals function within the weight-normative healthcare system in the United States and are faced with the …

Undue Police Violence Towards African Americans: A Quantitative Analysis Of Professional Counselors, Darius Green

Dissertations, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which counseling professionals identify and address undue police violence (UPV) in their professional roles. This study investigated circumstances associated with experiencing types of force that counselors identify as undue, the extent of advocacy efforts made by counselors related to UPV, and training received related to UPV. Lastly, this study investigated the relationships between counselors’ attitudes towards officer legitimacy, perceived racism, and beliefs related to UPV and addressing it. An exploratory research design that used descriptive analysis, simple linear regression, and thematic analysis was used to analyze data collected for …

Envisioning A Future For Professional Counseling: A Qualitative Study Of Counselor Educator Perspectives On Professional Distinction, Michael Horst

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how counselor educators in Virginia define and describe Counseling as a distinct profession in light of the ACA’s 20/20 consensus definition. This research focused on directors and core faculty members (n=8) of eight separate counseling programs in Virginia. Participants engaged one 60-minute semistructured interview with the researcher. Member checking and bracketing were used to bolster the study’s trustworthiness. A priori coding using codes from the ACA’s 20/20 project (Kaplan, Tarvydas, & Gladding, 2014) and emergent coding processes were used separately to see if the data that emerged from the interviews mirrored …

Seminar In Paraphilic Disorders, Kim E. Hall

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This project provides curriculum materials for a graduate level seminar in paraphilic disorders as an Ed.S. research project. The rationale for developing such a curriculum is introduced and a review of supporting literature is included, detailing the definition, prevalence, and controversy surrounding paraphilic disorders. Literature regarding counselor education in paraphilic disorders and evidence for a gap in current counselor education in paraphilias are reviewed. The curriculum materials designed to meet this need are presented and discussed, as are the benefits and limitations of this curriculum.

Advocacy In Action: A Framework For Implementation Of The American Counselors Association Advocacy Competencies On A Local Level, Jeffrey M. Lown

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Despite calls from within the professional field and external forces, counselors have faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to be effective advocates for their clients and themselves. A review of the literature reveals that throughout the history of the profession, prominent figures have called on counselors to assume advocacy roles, and that some initiatives have been successful in fostering lasting change. However, as counselors and their clients’ needs continue to evolve, so too must strategies to address these needs be reevaluated and new initiatives put into place.

In this paper, I have outlined a committee structure and agenda that seeks …