Digital Commons Network^™

Counselor Education And Inclusive Postsecondary Education: A Partnership Model, Rebecca B. Smith Hill, Alexander M. Fields, Olivia J. Lewis, Madeline Saunders, Chelsea Stinnett, Anthony Plotner, Rachel Gilreath

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Researchers in the counseling field have alerted practitioners and counselor education professionals to the need for enhanced training related to supporting individuals with disabilities, namely intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD; Feather & Carlson, 2019). As more individuals with IDD attend college, these emerging adults are specifically in need of counselors with skills and competencies to support their mental health. This paper describes a collaborative, mutually beneficial initiative between a counselor education program and an inclusive postsecondary education program to address the scarcity of personnel prepared to work with individuals with IDD.

Development And Evaluation Of The Sex Positivity Inventory For Counselors, M. Ashley Burks, Jennifer Gerlach, Joshua C. Watson

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

The purpose of the study was to clarify the definition of sex positivity and identify sex-positive attitudes, knowledge, and skills through the development and evaluation of the Sex Positivity Inventory for Counselors (SPI-C). The exploratory factor analysis supported a six-factor, 34-item scale, accounting for 32.9% of the variance within the study. The SPI-C had an excellent internal consistency of 0.96 and consisted of the following factors: 1) Procedural Sex Positivity, 2) Comfortability with Sexuality, 3) Perceived Sex Positivity, 4) Fundamental Sex Education, 5) Sexological Worldview, and 6) Unconditional Positive Sexual Regard. Implications for practice, counselor education, and supervision are discussed.

The Counselor Educator’S Guide To Sex Positivity: Ten Strategies For Enhancing Teaching And Supervision, Lorraine J. Guth, Ashley R. Niccolai, Moirin Reynolds, Dana Kirkpatrick

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Despite positive shifts in cultural conversations surrounding sex, there is a lack of institutional focus on sexuality training in counselor education. This is surprising, given that sexuality is an inherently multicultural issue, and a sex positive framework aligns with counseling’s core values which include social justice, resilience, and wellness. We discuss the relevance of incorporating sex positivity in counselor education and provide ten strategies for counselor educators to integrate sex positivity into their teaching and supervision. These recommendations include engage in self-reflection to examine comfort with sexuality; examine curriculum to ensure sexuality objectives are infused in courses; use inclusive language; …

Cyberbullying And Mental Health Issues Among University Students, Brandi N. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

According to the CDC (2024), bullying can lead to social and emotional distress, self-harm, and death. Bullying can also increase the risk for depression, anxiety, and poor academic achievement. The increased use of social media and the rise in cyberbullying (CB) and related mental health concerns among emerging adults is highly disconcerting, especially given their propensity for mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of young university students’ perceptions about CB victimization and whether CB affects their mental health. A cross-sectional research design was used to conduct the study. In this study the number …

Counselor Education: Digital Delivery With Confidence, Nicole Marie Arcuri-Sanders, Alisha Davis

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor education programs are required to demonstrate a clear framework, effective implementation, and overall program effectiveness. The pandemic’s surge in online instruction influenced CACREP’s (2024) digital delivery (DD) standards, addressing ethical and legal implications alongside student outcomes. Guidance from digital health initiatives, telemental health ethics and legal practices can be invaluable in clarifying DD protocols for counselor education programs. Understanding the parallels between DD and digital health regulations (e.g., HIPAA, ACA [2014], and NBCC [2023] ethical codes) provides a solid foundation for protecting both students and programs. Integrating technology and modeling digital health practices can enhance counselor education, benefiting both …

Secondary Posttraumatic Stress Education Within Graudate Counseling Programs, Brandi S. Colesanti Phd

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Secondary posttraumatic stress is a known occupational hazard for mental health counselors. Affecting approximately 49.5% of practicing counselors, it is a normal reaction to indirectly experiencing graphic stories (Lanier & Carney, 2024). Due to underdeveloped coping skills and limited experience working with traumatized individuals, counselors in training are especially vulnerable to its impact. Extant literature contains studies exploring the effects of secondary posttraumatic stress on graduate students, made and recommendations for self-care, resilience strategies, and therapeutic interventions to be integrated into graduate counseling curriculum to mitigate symptoms. Although studies demonstrated the effectiveness of these recommendations on symptom mitigation, no formal …

Tolerating Ambiguity: Counselor Educators' Perceptions Of Gatekeeping Administration, Matthew W. Bonner, Hsin-Ya Tang, Nathaniel Brown, Keenan Eldridge

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

In the counseling profession, gatekeeping is a legal, ethical, and accreditation mandate. Academic and clinical standards are straightforward about the significance of gatekeeping. However, there is a lack of clarity regarding counselor dispositions, policies, procedures, and processes for gatekeeping. This study explores the dispositional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal experiences of faculty in their engagement with the phenomenon of gatekeeping through the qualitative approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) with 12 (N = 12) diverse counselor educators. Findings indicate counselor educators’ significant experiences with vague dispositions, relationships, engagement of counselors-in-raining (CITs), supportive feedback, and faculty anxiety.

The Addition Of Chinese Herbal Medicines Is Effective As A Prophylactic Treatment Against Dental Diseases For Sjögren’S Syndrome Patients: Insight From Real-World Database, Ching-Ya Juan, Wei-Jen Chen, Hanoch Livneh, Ming-Chi Lu, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Leadership, Learning and Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background and Objectives:

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the salivary glands and increases the risk of developing dental diseases (DDs). Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) represent a promising alternative strategy for SS treatment; however, the association between CHMs and DD risk has not been confirmed. In this retrospective, cohort-based, nested case-control study, we explored whether or not combining CHMs with routine treatments for SS can reduce the chance of DDs.

Materials and Methods:

In the beginning, we recruited subjects aged 20–80 years with newly diagnosed SS who were free of DDs between 2001 and …

Sexual Intervention Self-Efficacy In Clinical And Counseling Psychology Doctoral Trainees: Examining Education, Family Sexual Communication, And Sex Positivity, Sara Aigen

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Sexual wellbeing is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of psychological health. Despite its significance, many psychologists report discomfort and low self-efficacy in addressing clients’ sexual concerns. The current study examined factors associated with sexual intervention self-efficacy among doctoral trainees in clinical and counseling psychology. Specifically, it investigated whether family communication about sex and didactic education in sexuality predicted sexual intervention self-efficacy and whether sex positivity moderated these relationships. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with 166 doctoral students enrolled in APA-accredited programs across the United States. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and measures assessing family sexual communication, sex positivity, …

Improving Equity In Financial Aid Policy For Students With Disabilities, Ryan S. Wells, S. Kate Farmer, Morgan D. Woroner

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Disabled college students face significant barriers to degree completion, including systemic inequities in financial aid policies. This Issue Article investigates financial aid policies that unfairly limit aid to disabled students, at times forcing them to choose between maximizing their financial aid and the recommended accommodations to which they have a legal right, such as a reduced courseload. We highlight how current policies, including Pell Grant proration, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements, and lifetime funding caps, create financial and administrative burdens that disproportionately affect disabled students. By examining federal and state-level policy responses, we identify both promising practices and persistent gaps …

“Literally Made Me Cry”: The Impact Of Course Material Costs On University Of Kentucky Students, Stephen Krueger

Library Reports and White Papers

The Student Course Materials Cost Survey was administered September 16 – October 6, 2024. It was open to current students at the University of Kentucky (UK). The goals were to help UK Libraries better understand how the cost of course materials affects students at UK and to provide a snapshot of student spending across the university. The questions were based on similar research done at other institutions in Virginia (Virginia Course Materials Survey, 2021) and Florida (2022 Student Textbook and Instructional Materials Survey, 2022). Other work based on those surveys includes the 2023 Illinois Course Materials Survey (CARLI, 2023) and …

A Grounded Theory Investigation Of The Experiences Of Rehabilitation Administrators, Counselors, And Supervisors Providing Services To Women With Disabilities Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence, Dana Posey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract There is a noticeable gap in the literature as it relates to how rehabilitation and disability service providers have worked with women with disabilities who have experienced intimate partner violence. To address the dearth of knowledge, a qualitative grounded theory study was conducted with 12 rehabilitation administrators, counselors, and supervisors regarding their experiences providing services to women with disabilities who have been in or are in an intimate partner violence relationship. Semi-structured interviews were administered, recorded, and transcribed verbatim in an ongoing manner throughout the process. As data was collected, it was analyzed using NVIVO 15, which is a …

Job Satisfaction And Vocational Services In Persons With Acquired Brain Injury, Claudia Eliza Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

The incidence of acquired brain injuries continues to rise world-wide resulting in increased disability status and national costs related to these injuries (Ahonle et al., 2020; BIAA, 2024; CDC, 2003; CDC, 2015; CDC, 2023; Grigorovich, et al., 2017; Tyerman et al., 2017). Long-term health effects associated with acquired brain injuries have social and environmental impacts that influence the individual with the injury beyond acute treatment and rehabilitation (Ahonle et al., 2020; CDC, 2023; Frieden et al., 2015; Grigorovich, et al., 2017; Tyerman et al., 2017). This, in turn, affects employment as many individuals with brain injuries are unable to return …

Social Participation And Health-Related Quality Of Life For Adults With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Capabilities Mediation And Employment Status And Social Security Disability Insurance Moderation, Kayi Ntinda

Theses and Dissertations

Social participation is a key determinant of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs), yet how individuals with NDDs engage socially to support their HRQoL remains poorly understood. Furthermore, the influences of personal capabilities, employment status, and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) as social factors for well-being are underexplored with this population.

This cross-sectional study investigated the direct and indirect effects of social participation on HRQoL, examining capabilities as a mediator and employment status and SSDI receipt as moderators. The study sample comprised 304 adults with NDDs (females = 83.3%; age range 18 to 60 years …

The Impact Of Positive Psychology Use Upon Gls Outcomes For People With Chronic Pain Syndromes, Timothy Michael Curtis

Theses and Dissertations

The essence of being human is realized by our discovery of meaningful purpose throughout each important stage of our lives. If we perceive that we lack this meaningful purpose in our lives, it could become a distressful source of suffering to our sense of well-being emotionally, cognitively and perhaps, spiritually. A strong indicator of well-being comes from a good evaluation we ascertain as to how well we believe outcomes in our lives are consistent with our goals and values, which is also known as satisfaction with life. Research findings indicate that the more someone experiences repeated negative life events, the …

Fieldwork Experiences Of Students In Cacrep Programs: A Descriptive Quantitative Study, Emily Norris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The following quantitative descriptive study explored the practicum and internship experiences of counselors in training (CIT) in consideration of the new 2024 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standard requirements. The updated standards mandate fieldwork sites to provide “quantity, quality and variety of expected experiences,” yet they lack specific guidance on what these experiences might entail. Despite the importance of fieldwork in counselor training, current literature offers limited data on the specific experiences of CITs encounter during their placements. To address this gap, this study utilized an anonymous survey to capture a multitude of fieldwork characteristics …

Evaluating Counseling Skills Through Language Style Matching: A Computer-Aided Text Analysis Of Suicide And General Counseling Transcripts, Chung-Fan Ni, Justin Jacques, Charles Silber, Cass Dykeman

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

This pilot study applies Computer-Aided Text Analysis (CATA) to examine Language Style Matching (LSM) in counseling transcripts, offering a novel metric for counselor education and supervision. Analyzing 50 suicide-focused and 100 general counseling sessions using LIWC-22 software, we found high LSM scores in both contexts (suicide-focused: M = 0.906; general: M = 0.903). Bayesian analysis provided moderate evidence (BF01 = 5.048) in support of the null hypothesis, indicating no significant difference between the two session types. The consistently high LSM suggests counselors effectively build strong alliances and align with client goals across topics. LSM analysis provides an objective measure of …

Cutting Through Stigma: Suggested Best Practices For Aharm Reduction Approach To Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Lindsay Lundeen, Erin Kern Popejoy

Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods Faculty Publications and Presentations

For many counselors, both topics of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and harm reduction practices can feel intimidating and unclear. Yet, depending on the client, discussion of complete and immediate cessation from NSSI can feel impossible and isolating. This article combines harm reduction principles, a concept initially developed for addiction treatment, with select existing recommendations for NSSI treatment to offer a clinician's guide to best practices for harm reduction implementation with clients engaging in NSSI. By meeting clients where they are and offering a supportive space to brainstorm nontraditional treatment options, counselors can maintain the core principles of the American Counseling Association's …

A Narrative Of Interprofessional Group Development, Leyla Feize

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Interprofessional education is a new movement that is being adopted more by educators in higher education. In other words, it has come to stay. This is the story of a collaboration across five disciplines at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to implement a Primary Care Behavioral Health certificate program that benefits both the students and the community of Rio Grande Valley. Tuckman and Jensen’s (1977) model of group development frames this narrative, with its stages of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning.

Counselor Education: Digital Delivery With Confidence, Nicole Marie Arcuri-Sanders, Alisha Davis

Educational Sciences and Organizations

Counselor education programs are required to demonstrate a clear framework, effective implementation, and overall program effectiveness. The pandemic’s surge in online instruction influenced CACREP’s (2024) digital delivery (DD) standards, addressing ethical and legal implications alongside student outcomes. Guidance from digital health initiatives, telemental health ethics and legal practices can be invaluable in clarifying DD protocols for counselor education programs. Understanding the parallels between DD and digital health regulations (e.g., HIPAA, ACA [2014], and NBCC [2023] ethical codes) provides a solid foundation for protecting both students and programs. Integrating technology and modeling digital health practices can enhance counselor education, benefiting both …

Recommendations For Telesupervision: Promoting Ethical, Legal, And Effective University And Clinical Supervision Using Technology, Madeleine M. Stevens, Yegan Pillay, Edisa Music, Elena Shahen

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The expansion of the use of technology in counseling has implicated counseling professionals in considering how to legally and ethically incorporate it into all facets of practice, including university and clinical supervision settings. In this article, we provide scholarship-backed recommendations for doing so as well as provide suggestions for incorporating psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral (CBT) supervision models into telesupervision.

Integrating Addiction Counseling Competencies Into Cacrep’S Foundational Curriculum: Addressing Gaps In Pedagogy, Stephanie Robinson, Whitney P. Akers, Jeffrey M. Warren

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Professional counselors frequently provide direct and indirect addiction counseling services with relatively little addiction-specific education and training. This lack of training results in counselors delivering services for which they are not adequately prepared. This article explores the current state of training and credentialing of addiction counselors, the addiction-specific gaps that currently exist in CACREP’s foundational curriculum, and the duty accredited programs have to ensure counseling students are trained to provide care to all who seek treatment. A conceptual model for integrating culturally responsive addiction-specific education into CACREP’s foundational curriculum and a hypothetical timeline for implementation are provided. We discuss the …

Navigating The Labyrinth: Transition Planning Process For Reintegration Of Inmates With Chronic Illnesses And Disabilities, Courtney Ashley Dean

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most offenders face challenges with successfully reintegrating, especially those living with chronic illness and/or disabilities. Transition interventions employed by mental health professionals are not universal and vary from facility to facility. While recidivism, community stigmatization, reoffending, and reconviction are explored in extant literature, little has been done to examine the difficulties faced by the professionals who work with this population as they get ready to plan for transitioning this disenfranchised group back into society. This study is an exploration of the role of professional counselors in facilitating successful transition planning for inmates living with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities. Guided by …

Educating The Educators: Increased Sexuality Training For Counselor Educators, Joshua C. Taylor

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

A robust body of literature has identified the need for counselors-in-training (CITs) to receive additional training in sexuality counseling. Growing efforts to identify efficacious training strategies have also been well-documented in the literature. These suggested updates have implicitly increased the counselor educator's role in delivering strategies to promote sexual counseling competence for CITs. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of literature regarding the adequate preparation of counselor educators in providing sexuality education. This article will underscore the counselor educator’s role in facilitating competence in sexuality counseling for CITs and provide a model for infusing sexuality counseling into doctoral curriculum.

The State Of Sexuality Counseling Training In Counselor Education, Amber L. Pope, Matt B. Siroty, Stefan Vasic, Julia Lancaster

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Sexuality counseling training remains underdeveloped and lacks standardization across counselor education programs in the United States. We examined the integration of sexuality counseling in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) programs. Out of 191 CMHC programs, 45% offered a standalone course and only 15.2% required one. We also performed summative and latent content analyses on the course descriptions to review the primary content of sexuality counseling courses. Content analysIs revealed course content largely focusing on sex positivity and inclusivity, though invalidating and potentially stigmatizing language persists. We conclude with implications for counselor education and future directions for research.

The Relationship Between Sense Of Agency And Perceived Stigma In Those With Cognitive Disabilities, Scarlet S. Pardue

Honors Theses

The focus population of this study is those with cognitive disabilities, which limit in some way a person’s ability to complete mental tasks, such as communication, planning, or remembering. The primary purpose is to focus on the participants' sense of agency and perceived stigma. The Sense of Agency Scale (SoA) measures a participant’s consciously perceived control over their mind, body, and the immediate environment. The Perceived Disability Social Stigma Scale (PDSS) measures to what degree participants believe that people with disabilities are stigmatized in their respective communities. Confirmatory research into these two variables offers an interesting insight into how the …

Breast Cancer Survivors’ Readiness-To-Work Perceptions: A Pilot Study, Joy Darlene Cain

Theses and Dissertations

This pilot study explored the perceptions of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and struggles they experienced when returning to work or maintaining employment. It sought to understand the impact of cancer treatment on work demands and how or if that impacted the survivor’s perception of her employment status. This study found significant differences in the RTW perceptions for women with breast cancer in the areas of marital status, physical effort, work strategies, and work-related help. The most significant difference were the differences between women with partners and women without partners. Surprisingly, women without partners, while they do …

Kidney Disease And Its Impact On Caregiver Burden And Marital Satisfaction, Silvia Amaya

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to review and analyze the relevant literature focusing on research studies that examine the impact of kidney disease and chronic illness on caregiver burden and marital satisfaction. Studies show that, as the older population increases and, with it, the rise of chronic illness and caregiver need, the quality of marital and relationship satisfaction between patients and caregiver spouses/partners will have a significant impact on the care that patients receive and on the social and community costs that such care will incur.

A scoping review is proposed to search, analyze, and synthesize the existing body …

Positive And Negative Religious Coping As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Covid-19 Stressors And Employee Burnout Among Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Kristen M. Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

During the investigation of this study, no study was located that explores the moderating effects of both positive religious coping (PRC) and negative religious coping (NRC) on the COVID-19 stressor-employee burnout relationship within the vocational rehabilitation counseling (VRCs) profession. Therefore, this study sought out to examine just that. Recruitment emails were sent out to VRCs to obtain 79 participants who were at least 18 years old, have worked at least 6 months as a VRC during the COVID-19 pandemic, and worked an average of 20 hrs/week. Each participant completed a 20-minute online survey containing CIS, PSS, MBI-HSS, Brief RCOPE scales. …

Disability Competencies In A Cacrep Graduate Program: A Grounded Theory And Case Study, Debbye Lopez-Ramos

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is growing evidence supporting multicultural competencies as a key component of the CACREP standards and ethical responsibilities for faculty counselor educators and supervisors (FCESs). However, literature supporting multicultural competencies has significant gaps as it relates to the conceptualization and practice of disability competencies in CACREP counselor education. Furthermore, the lack of disability competencies and the stigma surrounding disabilities has led to frustration, academic remediation, and the withdrawal of students with disabilities. Despite the CACREP standards, FCESs have failed to infuse disability competencies when working with students with disabilities. This qualitative research used grounded theory and case study to examine …