Counseling Commons^™

Counselor Perceived Competence Diagnosing Disorders From Dsm-5 Diagnostic Categories Survey Results And The Development And Validation Of Scores On The Diagnostic Self-Efficacy Scale, Erin Elizabeth Woods

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation focused on the diagnostic self-efficacy of mental health counselors. The diagnosis of mental health disorders serves a wide array of functions in the counseling field including communication, treatment planning, and third-party reimbursement. Self-efficacy, or one’s belief in their own ability to accomplish a task, is considered a factor in successful task completion. The literature lacked information about which mental health disorders counselors are most confident diagnosing and an instrument which measured the self-efficacy of counselors specific to the diagnostic process. The MEASURE approach was employed to create the Diagnostic Self-Efficacy Scale and validate scores on this instrument with …

K-5 Elementary Alternative Program: A Case Study, William E. Scheuer Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine how the K-5 elementary alternative program All Students Can Thrive (ASCT) used student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. There is a lack of research on K-5 elementary alternative programs, such as ASCT, and specifically those that integrate student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. Literature does not contain universally accepted interventions that are effective in the elementary alternative setting to help students return to the mainstream classroom setting better prepared to display appropriate behaviors when a student is removed from a mainstream classroom setting due to disruptive behaviors. …

Identifying Motivations Of New Counselors For Continuing Professional Development Of Multicultural Competencies: A Qualitative Study, Larry English

Dissertations

The need to increase multicultural counseling skills is a crucial area of focus in the continued evolution of the counseling profession. This necessity is due to a number of factors, including the ongoing demographic and societal changes in the United States. The research has helped to bring awareness of the need for increased and continued professional development in the area of cultural literacy and multicultural competencies skills for beginning counselors and others in counseling-related programs. At the micro level, the research investigated new clinicians’ self-awareness of their own biases, assumptions, internalized/externalized actions, and beliefs toward other cultures. The purpose of …

“What’S Belonging Got To Do With It?”: An Exploration Of Campus Racial Climate And Sense Of Belonging In Black Counseling Students Attending Predominately White Institutions In The North Atlantic Region, Erin Durrah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) dialogues are raging across campuses throughout the U.S. with specific focus on the needs of Black student populations in the aftermath of the George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbury murders. However, if the supportive spirit of the DEI initiatives is undermined by a hostile campus climate and local community, it may negatively impact the learning environment isolating the target population, while also effecting their potential for successful completion of their programs. The current qualitative study aims to explore the perceptions of belonging expressed by Black graduate students enrolled in Council for Accreditation of Counseling …

Professional Perspectives On Bilingualism In Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study, Rosa N. Benavidez Saldivar, Jessica R. Stewart, Ruth Crutchfield, Roy K. Chen, Lily Puente

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The present study examined the perspectives of professionals regarding bilingualism and ASD. Methods: A total of 27 professionals participated in this study. Data was collected via an online survey. The survey was designed based on a literature review and consultation with a team of experts in the field of ASD. Information relating to demographic information, professional practice information, and perspectives of bilingualism and ASD was collected. Results: Professionals participating in the present study were most likely to agree with the statement, “A child with ASD from a bilingual household is able to understand both languages” and least likely to …

Effect Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Volunteerism And Fundraising Management Strategies In Nonprofits And Rebuilding Tactics Of Ronald Mcdonald House Charities Of Chicagoland And Northwest Indiana (Rmhc-Cni), Humza Wolf

Nonprofit and NGO Studies Student Projects

The financial sustainability of nonprofits depends highly on volunteerism and funding strategies which got impacted during Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. This capstone study explores to what extent nonprofits got affected and evaluates the efforts of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (RMHC-CNI) to improve the provision of support for underprivileged families of critically ill children. The continual efforts to overcome financial hurdles escalated in pandemic. Mixed method research design was used to collect, analyze, and triangulate both quantitative and qualitative research methods in this single study to understand the research problem. Interpretive approach encompassed the complexities of …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On School Psychology Internship Outcomes, Julie Q. Morrison, Kizzy Albritton, Elana Bernstein, Susan C. Davies, Laurice Joseph, Katherine R. Mezher, Jennifer Reynolds, Richard W. Vanvoorhis

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

The Ohio Internship Program in School Psychology was forced to adapt abruptly to the changing circumstances brought on by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic beginning in March 2020. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the school psychology internship outcomes were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of supervisors' ratings of intern competencies, the number of students served by interns, and the outcomes of academic and behavior interventions supported by interns. Findings of the annual evaluation of the Ohio Internship Program in School Psychology for the school year directly affected by the pandemic …

A Hermeneutic Exploration Of The Meaning Of School Counseling For Undocumented Students Attempting To Receive Equitable College Access, Victoria Lauren Landi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study examines what school counseling means to undocumented students attempting equitable college access. Critical Race Theory is the theoretical basis guiding this study. Much literature on undocumented youth and educational attainment suggests undocumented youth are not receiving an equitable public education and continue falling further into society's margins. However, research has not yet captured how undocumented youth experience college access from their school counselors. The gap in the research elucidates the research questions that drove this study regarding how undocumented students explain the meaning of equitable college access from their interactions with school counselors and how undocumented youth …

Vicarious Healing: Integration Of Faith And Practice, Yolanda R. Montgomery

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Several studies have evaluated the emotional burden added to therapists who are treating traumatized individuals. However, little research has been done to determine how to mitigate the secondary trauma in clinicians within the therapeutic environment during counseling sessions. An exploration of change theory can be applied to understand why secular therapists experience resilience and growth at different times or not at all. However, this intersection lacks a spiritual component that is present for Christian therapists to heal from this trauma during in-person sessions. The present study aims to explore this intersection of change theory with posttraumatic growth and vicarious resilience. …

Measuring Phases Of Employment Decision-Making And The Need For Vocational Services As A Social Determinant Of The Health Of Employed People Living With Hiv, Kb Boomer, Liza M. Conyers, Yili Wang, Yung-Chen Jen Chiu

Publications and Research

(1) Background: Secure employment has been recognized as a social determinant of health for people living with HIV (PLHIV), but limited research has been conducted to understand the employment needs and vocational decision-making process of those who are employed. The purpose of this study is to examine the applicability of the client-focused considering-work model to assess the employment outcomes and employment decision-making phases of a sample of employed PLHIV. (2) Methods: This study analyzed data of 244 employed PLHIV who completed National Working Positive Coalition’s Employment Needs Survey which included a 20-item Considering Work Scale- Employed version (CWS-Employed) and a …

Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Project-Based Learning (Pbl) Education: A New Mexico Case Study For Equity And Inclusion, Kimberly A. Scheerer

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This research addresses how student participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) project-based learning (PBL) education activities encourages underrepresented minority student achievement in STEM career field trajectories. Seven New Mexico high school counselors and 12 STEM organization personnel were interviewed during this study. Their responses represent the nuanced professional voices where New Mexico public education intersects with STEM student interest and cultural influence.

For students, STEM PBL can foster deep integration across educational disciplines and enhance STEM career trajectory interest and readiness. STEM education converged with PBL methodologies has the ability to leverage community support while broadening student networks. …

Perceived School Fairness And Willingness To Report Bias-Based Bullying Among Youth During Covid-19 Pandemic, Isak Kim, Deanna L. Burgess, Seriashia J. Chatters

Counseling Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND

As COVID-19 has let many students into remote learning environments and exacerbated inequality among marginalized individuals, there is a growing concern about Bias-Based Bullying (BBB) in online spaces among school-aged youths. Learning modality and perceived school fairness may affect youth's likelihood of reporting BBB.

METHODS

Data were collected as part of “No Place For Hate” (NPFH) project, which was conducted by an equity office of a school district. A sample of middle and high school students (N = 1117) in the school district was used as an analytic sample. We conducted a series of independent samples t tests and …

Moving Past Resilience: How To Foster Perseverence In Students, Lisa M. Brown, Kimberly A. Brumley

Psychology Department Faculty Conferences

No abstract provided.

Moving Towards An Anti-Racist Curriculum: Student And Counselor Educator Advocacy, Susan F. Branco, Sarah Karges, Whitney Swann, Lizzie O'Leary

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Examination and exploration of anti-racism practices in counselor education has resurged in the past several years. This conference proceeding will describe how one online counselor education program paired student and faculty collaboration to address anti-racism in core curriculum. Through an online town hall and weekly advocacy meetings, counselor educators and students devised and implemented an advocacy plan. Discussion includes ethical decision-making and advocacy actions undertaken as a collaborative student and faculty effort.

Dynamics Of Online Engagement: Counseling Students’ Experiences And Perceptions In Distance Learning, Jungeun Lee, Donghun Lee, Sojeong Nam, Jeongwoon Jeong, Goeun Na

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

In this article, the authors present counseling students’ personal accounts of their experiences in distance education with a focus on online engagement based on an extensive review of the counseling literature. In addition, an evaluation tool was introduced for gathering qualitative and quantitative information regarding patterns of instructor engagement efforts and styles. Facilitating factors for experiential online learning were also identified from the students’ perceptions of online learning experience. Finally, the results were used to make specific recommendations for counselor educators to enhance their teaching efficacy and engagement.

Incorporating Multiculturalism And Social Justice Into Synchronous Online Courses, Debra M. Perez Phd, Tricia M. Mikolon Phd

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic students and teachers were thrust onto the online platform for classes. Students had to adjust to this transition, and understanding how to function in this new arena became of the utmost importance to promote student success. Recognizing that technology itself impacts our students is an important factor, both culturally and through a social justice lens. Understanding how to incorporate both multicultural and social justice considerations into an online classroom assists instructors in creating an open and welcoming experience which fosters autonomy. Therefore, understanding and appreciating the multicultural and social justice needs of students …

Culturally Responsive Distance Counselor Education For International Counseling Students, Jeongwoon Jeong, Goeun Na, Sojeong Nam, Donghun Lee, Jungeun Lee

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Counselor education programs have increasingly offered distance education during the last decades. As one of the growing student populations in counselor education programs, international students need to be given more attention pertaining to their cultural and educational experiences as counseling students. Although distance learning in counselor education has gained empirical support for its effectiveness, it may still pose challenges to international counseling students due to their unique characteristics such as language barriers and cultural differences, which may render differing qualities of students’ learning experiences. Aiming to enhance our understanding of this student population to provide culturally responsive distance counselor education, …

Creating Meaningful Connections In Online Counselor Education, Latoya D. Smith

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

In this conference summary brief, the author discusses the importance of creating meaningful connections between counselor educators and students in online teaching platforms. The author connects this discussion to ethical standards throughout the conference brief. Finally, the author provides strategies for counselor educators to implement and suggestions to consider using to monitor their effectiveness, model self-care practices, and model boundaries for students.

Counselors In Training Educational Impacts And Perceived Adequacy Of Supports Amidst Covid-19, Jamie E. Crockett, Nathaniel N. Ivers

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Counselors-in-Training (CITs) experience complex challenges, stressors, and changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and concurrent sociopolitical crises. The authors examined CIT’s academic and clinical experiences during the first year of COVID-19, including their perception of the adequacy of their training and supports to provide counseling during this time. Many CITs experienced a range of changes including transitioning from face-to-face training and supervision to distance learning, telehealth, and telesupervision. The authors discuss implications for training and supervision, including considerations related to distance learning and digital competence.

Navigating Microaggressions In Online Learning Environments, Shreya Vaishnav, Donya D. Wallace

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Microaggressions are prevalent in academic online spaces and harm those involved. This showcase paper explores the literature around microaggressions and their impact in academia. The authors offer practical tips and tools for navigating microaggressions in the classroom, including how to engage in difficult dialogues with peers, students, and colleagues. Finally, strategies to create inclusive spaces in academia are discussed, specifically in a classroom setting or one-on-one interactions.

Ungrading An Online Counseling Course, Leah K. Clarke

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Ungrading, or alternative assessment, is an educational practice that is growing in use and can be effective in online counselor education. Alternative assessment aligns with social justice, competency-based, and community of learning educational philosophies. Assessment that is meaningful for teachers and learners can increase engagement, openness to feedback, and intrinsic motivation for counselors-in-training. A counselor educator describes how one online course was ungraded.

Implementing An Online Research Group About Classism In Counselor Education, Lucy Parker Barnes, Yara Abu Hussein, Ryan Alexander, Kileen Barry, Monica Behera, Effy Chambers, Samuel Chase, Leslie Delaney, Vanessa Filmonor, Robert Giansante, Jamie Kassa, Lily Kairis, Emily Kimmerlman, Laura Leslie, Jesse Linneman, Maeve Kirby, Noel Mckillip, Carolyn Powell, Lisa Rollins, Courtney Rowley, Lydia Rhodes, Lisa Sams, Chris Sharff, Emma Wright

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

In 2021, an online research group was created with counseling students from three different universities. This online research group consisted of masters counseling students and a lead research mentor and counselor educator. This research group was the first of its kind in its Program. This research team focused on intersectionality and classism. Topics of integrating the online world into counseling research, specifically, through this observed research group will be introduced in this documentation. This research team served as a catalyst to increase student morale during required remote learning. Implications driven from this student-centered, online research group will also be described. …

The Great Pivot: The Profession Of Counseling Has Changed, Has Your Pedagogy?, Donna S. Sheperis, Kristel Nazzal

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

The profession of counseling is impacted by more than mental health theories and models. COVID-19, external or adjacent industries, and technology have all left their imprint on the provision of competent and relevant counseling services. In general, most counselor educators were clinically trained prior to many of these influences. Which begs the question, if the profession has changed, should your pedagogy? This presentation introduced some of the challenges and opportunities in training clinicians impacted by these forces.

Forged In The Fires Of Covid-19: The Evolution Of Systemic Therapy For Online Practice And Beyond, Lauren Skuba M.A., Mftc, Lindsay Edwards , Ph.D.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

There has been a swift uptake in the use of teletherapy since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has corresponded with an increase in clinical scholarship focused on conducting systemic therapy in an online format. A majority of this scholarship offers ideas for adapting therapeutic tasks developed around in-person contact for a remote format. The current article moves beyond adapting and offers ideas for remote systemic therapy that are born from our experiences of evolving through teletherapy. We begin by noting some of the significant differences between in-person therapy and teletherapy before describing how these differences can influence client …

Bowen Informed Therapy Integrated With Gene Keys, Kristen Oliver M.A.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The mental health professions require innovation in order to advance theory and practice. This article presents reimagined therapeutic work that joins the metaphysical element of Gene Keys with the largely accepted theoretical approach of Bowen Family Systems Theory. We propose the integration of metaphysics as a way to facilitate higher levels of differentiation – particularly in clients who have an expanded worldview inclusive of metaphysics. The reader is asked to stretch their beliefs and perspective as they read through this paper.

Mft Trainee Experiences Of Shame, Self-Criticism, And Self-Compassion In Their First Practicum, Mark Karris , Ph.D., Angela B. Kim Ph.D.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of MFT trainee shame, self-criticism, and self-compassion. Additionally, this study also sought to understand how those experiences may affect a trainee’s clinical work as a first-time practicum student. Interviews were conducted with 15 trainees in a graduate program who were performing therapy at a practicum site. Utilizing Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenology, six essential themes emerged: (1) shame and self-criticism are interrelated and can affect therapeutic presence; (2) self-criticism can have a positive impact on clinical work; (3) trainees use metaphors to describe shame and self-criticism (4) self-compassion …

Using Stories With Families: A Scoping Review, Sam Hadji Cyrous Ph.D. (Candidate), Sofia Valadares Nishiyama Cordeiro, Ana Caroline De Caldas

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article is the fruit of a systematic scoping review, according to PRISMA precepts. Its objective was to explore the use of stories and other symbolic genre on family therapy settings. Thus, it explains how the researchers made the selection of articles in phases or steps, in a total of six, having a final result of 11 articles, in a time-lapse of 28 years. By the one hand, it was observed a relationship between different techniques that are usually grouped separately and, by the other hand, the disparate way in which the same concepts are confused among researchers, where each …

Notes On Language In The Clinic In A Lacanian Key, Sean J. Carroll

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

There is no shortage of therapeutic modalities and interventions at the therapist’s disposal. Psychotherapy, because it claims to treat the individual, is necessarily multifaceted and complex. The dimension of language which structures much of our experience should be considered as a starting point for a psychotherapeutic technique. French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan developed a theory and technique of the talking cure beginning from this assumption: that language structures our experience. In the early 1950s he sought to recover a linguistic Freud: to re-center psychoanalytic psychotherapy on language itself. In this paper, I sketch the theoretical reasons for this turn in Lacan …

Evaluating The Impact Of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy On Hope And Clinical Symptoms With Latine Clients, Krystle Himmelberger, James Ikonomopoulos, Javier Cavazos Vela

Counseling Faculty Publications

We implemented a single-case research design (SCRD) with a small sample (N = 2) to assess the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) for Latine clients experiencing mental health concerns. Analysis of participants’ scores on the Dispositional Hope Scale (DHS) and Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2) using split-middle line of progress visual trend analysis, statistical process control charting, percentage of non-overlapping data points procedure, percent improvement, and Tau-U yielded treatment effects indicating that SFBT may be effective for improving hope and mental health symptoms for Latine clients. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for counselor educators, counselors-in-training, and practitioners, which …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Challenges Faced By Counselors In Places Where Professional Counseling Is Nascent, Rakesh K. Maurya, Kok-Mun Ng, John J.S. Harrichand, Gideon Litherland, Edward Ewe, Kaj Deborah Kayij-Wint, Gretchen Schulthes

UNF Faculty Research and Scholarship

The counseling profession may be considered well established in some parts of the world; however, in most countries it remains non-existent or a nascent profession. For the internationalization of counseling to take place, leading to establishment and advancement, the counseling profession needs to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration. Such a process enables a meaningful inclusion of counselors in professional spaces to allow them to meet the socio-emotional needs of clients and communities. In this article, the authors examine the challenges and barriers counselors experience when participating in interdisciplinary professional environments, specifically in places where the counseling profession is a nascent field. …