Counselor Education Commons^™

Effects Of Adaptive Expertise On Counseling Self-Efficacy: The Mediating Role Of Adaptive Performance, Jiaying Meyer

Dissertations

Counseling and psychotherapy expertise research have been focused on three major areas, namely, characterization of Master Therapists, performance of Healing Involvement, and application of Deliberate Practice. The constructs of adaptive expertise and adaptive performance have never been investigated in the context of counseling or psychotherapy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the relevance of adaptive expertise in psychotherapy by studying the relationships between adaptive expertise, adaptive performance, and counseling self-efficacy. A total of 460 psychotherapy practitioners from a variety of disciplines and experiences participated in the study, and they included counseling, psychology, social work, and others with …

Resilience In Black Mental Health Counselors, Ericka Cables

Dissertations

Though resilience is a commonly studied variable in different disciplines, there is relatively little research on occupational settings. Researchers take various perspectives in defining resilience as a trait, process, and an outcome. Regardless of how it is defined, it is a vital protective factor for Black mental health counselors who may be significantly impacted by similar experiences, such as racism and racial discrimination, as the Black clients they serve. This dissertation study consisted of two studies utilizing the same data set. In the first study, psychometric properties of a new quantitative instrument, the Race-Based Resilience Scale (RBRS), was constructed to …

Bisexual+ Women Of Color And Microaffirmations, Zori Paul

Dissertations

In the last decade, there has been an interest in exploring affirming identity factors for bisexual+ (bisexual, pansexual, queer, fluid, etc.) individuals that would promote positive mental wellbeing. However, there is a dearth in the current research that focuses on bisexual+ women of color and affirming factors unique to their intersecting racial/ethnic, sexual, and gender identities. By understanding what potential affirming factors, including bisexual microaffirmations, protect bisexual+ women of color from binegativity (bisexual specific discrimination), mental health professionals can provide and advocate for bisexual+ specific affirming care. This dissertation contains three studies: the first study explores how the experiences of …

Addressing Racial Trauma In Counseling: Perspectives And Lessons From The Field, Claire Martin

Dissertations

Racism has permeated all aspects of American life (Bell, 1992) and many Black communities suffer racial trauma as a result. Mental health professionals have an ethical responsibility to develop strategies to serve the needs of diverse communities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of Black mental health professionals who serve individuals experiencing racial trauma. Using Critical Race Theory as a theoretical framework and qualitative Thematic Analysis as a methodology, twenty-three (23) Black mental health professionals were asked the following questions: (1) What are the experiences of Black mental health professionals working with clients who have …

Rural Pregnant Women’S Experiences With Substance Use Disorder: A Qualitative Study, Cami Weber

Dissertations

Rural pregnant women with substance use disorder (SUD) are an understudied vulnerable population that often experiences poor pregnancy outcomes (Higgins et al., 2019; Jumah, 2016; Kramlich et al., 2018; Shaw et al., 2015). Despite the high prevalence and high burden associated with SUD, rural women are less likely than non-pregnant women to seek addiction treatment and complete an outpatient treatment program during pregnancy (Shaw et al., 2015). This study aimed to give voice to rural Missouri women with SUD. The research questions explored the life experiences and motivations for seeking treatment using a qualitative, descriptive research design with grounded theory …

Clinical Case Conceptualization Skill Development And Counseling Pedagogy: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study, Andrea Cox

Dissertations

Clinical case conceptualization has been identified as an invaluable and indispensable skill within the literature of the mental health professions and by the Council for Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP, the counseling profession’s professional accreditation body). Despite its known importance, there is a dearth of literature focused on understanding the experiences students have related to counselor education pedagogy and the development of clinical case conceptualization skills. This project utilized a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) qualitative research design and analysis to explore the clinical case conceptualization learning experiences had by Counselors-In-Training (CITs) enrolled in CACREP aligned or CACREP accredited master-level …

Impact Of Aging Information On The Continuing Education Preferences Of Behavioral Health Clinicians, Nicholas Schmidt

Dissertations

The United States population is aging rapidly and the behavioral health workforce is ill-prepared to meet the concurrent rise in demand for services for older adults. Clinicians specializing in working with older adults make up a very small portion of providers and the majority of service provision falls on general practitioners. The discipline of counseling has emphasized multicultural competencies in training and practice but has not specified standards of competence for work with older adults; little is known about the interests and training preferences of Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs). This study examined the impact of receiving foundational information about aging …

Barriers To Post-Secondary Success, Douglas Swanson, Najeana Henderson, Maritza Sloan

Dissertations

This study reviews factors that prior studies have identified or failed to consider as barriers to post-secondary success. The three main areas include academic success for Latinx students after high school, organizational systems and their impact on African-American students’ postsecondary readiness, and what workers think of their high school education with regards to career preparedness.

Five factors are identified as major barriers for Latinx students to continue in a higher education system. A survey of former students from Saint Louis, Missouri, and Dallas, Texas, metroplex area identified 56 Latinx students that participated in an initial survey. This led to a …

Moth To A Flame: An Investigation Of The Personality Traits And Early-Life Trauma Histories Of Women Who Have Survived Adult Relationships With Men With Pathological Narcissism, Michelle D. Roberts

Dissertations

Although emotional and psychological abuse, in addition to physical assault, are now commonly accepted as aspects of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), narcissistic abuse as a subset of IPV is not widely recognized or understood. Due to the extremely debilitating, chronic mental health effects of narcissistic abuse (Bremner, 2008; Campbell, 2002; Yoon et al., 2009), this study sought to explore the experiences, personalities, early-life (childhood) trauma histories and mental health outcomes of heterosexual women who self-identify as having been in an adult romantic relationship with a man with pathological narcissism. Specifically, this study aimed to identify the nature and frequency of …

Intersex Experiences, Activists’ Perspectives, And Counseling Implications, Cynthia J. Mulit

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Intersex people are born with sex development differences; for example, atypical genitals. The intersex community is the only sexual minority population subjected to medical treatments in infancy designed to make their bodies conform to cultural expectations for male and female bodies. Intersex activism to stop the medicalized treatments began in the late 1990s. No other qualitative study has focused on the experiences of intersex activists. Four leading activists were interviewed in depth regarding their personal, activist, and counseling experiences. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. A 3-stage intersex identity development model was formulated …

Anxiety, Attributions, And Marital Quality: A Mediation Model, Tara Vossenkemper

Dissertations

Marital quality plays a significant role in the physical and mental health of many people. The purpose of this study was to examine anxiety, attributions, and marital quality in a sample of females. The first two hypotheses aimed to assess the relationship between anxiety and marital quality, and the relationship between attributions and marital quality. The primary research question aimed to assess attributions as a mediator in the relationship between anxiety and marital quality. Participants (N = 358) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Quality Marriage Index (QMI; Norton, 1983), the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT; Locke & Wallace, 1959), the …

Supervisory Working Alliance As A Predictor For Counselor Burnout: The Potential Mediating Role Of Supervisee Nondisclosure, Amanda Bohnenstiehl

Dissertations

Clinical supervision sometimes lacks the elements necessary for a rigorous, helpful, and meaningful experience for the supervisee. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the supervisory working alliance, supervisee nondisclosure (i.e., when a supervisee does not communicate information that would otherwise be shared with the supervisor), and counselor burnout, specifically in a sample of counselors, social workers, and psychologists pursuing their original state licenses. Nondisclosure was examined to determine if it was a mediator of the relationship between the supervisory working alliance and burnout. Participants (n = 288) completed a demographic questionnaire, the supervisee form …

How School Counselors Cope With Student Suicide: A Qualitative Study, Sara Carpenter

Dissertations

Recognizing that school counselors will likely encounter the tragedy of youth suicide, many counselor educator programs focus on identification of suicidal ideation and prevention, but the field of school counseling remains largely under-equipped regarding how to cope with the aftermath of student suicide. In an effort to expand the qualitative research within the profession on how best to educate, support, and implement suicide postvention strategies, there remained a need to explore the experience of the school counselor in the aftermath of such tragedy. This study addressed how school counselors who were trained in CACREP-accredited programs experience the response to student …

Estimating Wasi Iq Scores To Assist In Identifying Elementary School Gifted Students, Debra Garrett Pregler

Dissertations

Identifying gifted students early is important so they may receive adaptations in their learning environment including admittance into gifted programs (Subotnik, Olszweski-Kubilius, & Worrell, 2012). An effective method to increase the likelihood of identifying gifted students is needed (Pfeiffer, 2003). Admission at the elementary level primarily uses the individually-administered intelligence test; yet, the test is only administered to students nominated to the gifted program. The purpose of this study was to determine if individually-administered IQ test scores were related to specific information available to the elementary school counselor to aid in the determination of unidentified gifted elementary school students who …

Cultural Identity Silencing Of Native American Identity In Education: A Descriptive Phenomenological Investigation, Katheryne Leigh

Dissertations

Native American Nations have been subjected to colonialism for centuries the impact of which led to further traumatic events and disparities. Although recent scholarship has investigated possible relationships between traumas experienced in education and issues such as depression, substance use, poor academic achievement, and suicide, there remained a need for qualitative studies exploring the phenomenon from the voice of the experiencer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of cultural identity silencing of Native American identity in education. Eight young adult self-identified Native American/Alaskan college students between the ages of 18-25 who experienced cultural identity silencing in …

Factors Related To Ethnocultural Empathy Among White Counselor Education Faculty: Implications For African American Male Students., Courtney R. Boddie

Dissertations

Cultural competence represents a central element of the professional practices exhibited by professional counselors and counselor educators (CACREP, 2016). Inconsistent with the place it holds in the field, cultural competence has been minimally studied among those responsible for gatekeeping, teaching, supervision, and research – faculty. Among variables relevant to measurable outcomes is ethnocultural empathy (EE), ideal as it is described as a combination of empathic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward others with whom you have differences in cultural identities and experiences (Wang et al., 2003). This study sought to add to the body of literature on the cross-racial interactions between …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Counselor Supervisor Self-Efficacy Scale, Brittany Murphy

Dissertations

Counselor supervision is an integral component in the development of counselors. While counseling and supervision share some similarities, they are distinct competencies that develop separately and therefore must be measured separately. The belief that one can perform the tasks associated with a particular role is conceptualized as self-efficacy, so supervisor self-efficacy requires its own scale to be measured appropriately. A descriptive correlational survey research design was used to examine the six factor structure of the Counselor Supervisor Self-Efficacy Scale (CSSES). Two hundred and five counselor supervisors completed the CSSES, an impression management scale, and a demographic survey. Confirmatory factor analysis …

School Connectedness As A Moderator Between Racial Microaggressions And Academic Performance For African American High School Students, Courtney Wilson

Dissertations

Racial microaggressions are subtle, often unconscious, words or actions that demean African Americans (Sue et al., 2007). The impact of racial microaggressions may not be seen, and so it is important to study potential long-term consequences such as academic performance. This study addressed an identified gap in the literature on the relationship between racial microaggressions and academic performance among African American high school students. A quantitative design was used to study the relationship between racial microaggressions and academic performance, and school connectedness as a moderating variable of this relationship. There were 417 high school students who completed the surveys. Of …