Counseling Commons^™

The Making Of A Counselor: How My Life Shaped My Purpose, Grace M. Christopherson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This Plan B Project Analysis of Self explores the life experiences of an aspiring school counselor. The goal of a self-analysis project is to further explore the contents of oneself before entering the mental health field. Personal stories and experiences will be debriefed with the purpose of showing what has led to a pursuit in a career as a mental health counselor. Assessment results will also be shown and drawn from further enhancing the analysis of self. Additionally, theoretical orientation will be elaborated on and illustrated. All the different aspects of the analysis of self will reveal development both professionally …

Treating The Trauma Beneath The Violence: A Reappraisal Of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrator Interventions, Huda S. Shaikh, Vanessa Cordoba

Journal for Social Work Scholar-Practitioners

Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a global public health emergency with little meaningful reduction in prevalence over the past two decades, despite extensive micro-level interventions targeting perpetrators through batterer intervention programs (BIPs) and legal accountability mechanisms (Arce et al., 2020; Babcock et al., 2004; Shetty, 2025; WHO, 2025). Using a macro social work and epistemological lens, this paper argues that the IPV field and judicial systems, particularly in the United States, have relied on an outdated and largely reactive paradigm that obscures the trauma histories of perpetrators, neglects intergenerational and neurobiological mechanisms, and perpetuates epistemic injustice toward both survivors and …

Adult Children Of Alcoholics: How Growing Up With An Alcoholic Influences Parenting Practices And The Parent-Child Dynamic, Taylor Sayre Bart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how the influence of growing up with an alcoholic parent influenced one’s parenting practices and the parent-child dynamic. This study explored the lived experiences of adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) as it related to their alcoholic parents’ parenting practices and styles. This study also explored how the participants’ childhood experience affected their relationship with their children and subsequently influenced their own parenting practices and styles. Bowlby’s attachment theory and Bowen’s family systems theory guided this study. Attachment theory was used as it is a key factor in building relationships between …

Paying The Success Tax: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Women Navigating Workplace Microaggressions, Santisha Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of professional Black women as they relate to microaggressions experienced in professional spaces. Professional, for this study, refers to Black women in professional positions that require a degree, advanced degree, professional licensure, and those with current/past military service in the enlisted rank of E-7 and above or commissioned officers in the rank of O3 and above. The theory that guided this study was the phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST), which emphasizes how people develop, considering the unique intersectionality of multiple social identities (Spencer et al., 1997). …

A Self-Efficacy Study Of Sibshop Programs On Family Systems: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Milisa R. Fowler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to investigate how sibling support workshops SIBSHOPs influence families, with special attention to self-efficacy of participating families. SIBSHOPs were developed to support siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by providing a platform to exchange and share their thoughts, learn new things, and develop coping strategies. This study examines the experiences of participants and their families in SIBSHOPs to understand how the workshops affect family dynamics, sibling relationships, and individual self-efficacy. Through interviews and thematic analysis, the study examines the perceived effectiveness of SIBSHOPs in enhancing participants’ self-efficacy within the context …

The Virtual Clinical Training Center: New Frontiers In Telemental Health Training, Rodney E. Harris, Loriann S. Stretch, Susan J. Foster, Katie Kesterson

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Telebehavioral health has become an essential competency for counselors, yet counselor education programs often have limited structures for supervised telehealth clinical training. This article describes the Virtual Clinical Training Center (VCTC), a three-tiered model developed within an online counselor education program to prepare counselors in training and doctoral supervisors in training while expanding access to counseling in medically underserved communities. Tier I offers synchronous skills-based live labs and examination review, Tier II provides peer role-play practice, and Tier III places fieldwork students with community partners to deliver supervised telebehavioral counseling. We describe the application and training process, tiered supervision, partnership …

Nature And The Fulfillment Of Psychological Needs: A Qualitative Study, Leah Skelton

The Bear Counseling Collective

As mental health disorder rates increase and nature contact decreases in the general population, it is in the interest of public health to understand the impact of nature on mental health and social belonging, particularly in order to utilize these benefits most effectively and efficiently for intervention design. Estimates of mental health disorder prevalence indicate one in five adults is affected annually (CDC, 2023; NIMH, 2023), with rates of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress rising in particular among youth and young adults (CDC, 2023). Similarly, as rates of stress and loneliness increase, researchers and public health organizations alike are calling …

Counselors-In-Training Attitudes Towards Social Justice Oriented Self-Disclosure, Kaitlyn Jones

The Bear Counseling Collective

The purpose of this phenomenological study will be to understand the attitudes towards social justice-oriented self-disclosure in counselors-in-training participating in their first practicum experience. By exploring their lived experiences and perceptions, this study seeks to illuminate how counselors-in-training (CITs) navigate the tension between clinical neutrality and social justice oriented engagement in therapeutic spaces.

Preparing For Effective Supervision: Considerations For First Time Supervisees, Mallory Radcliff, Laura Rivas

The Bear Counseling Collective

Supervision is an essential part of clinical training and serves as an essential support to students who are beginning to see clients for the first time (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP], 2024). To effectively utilize supervision, it is important to establish shared expectations and goals between supervisor and supervisee (Bernard & Goodyear, 2019). Without previous experience in supervision, it may feel challenging for first time supervisees to know what appropriate goals or expectations of supervision are. Current literature focuses primarily on effective supervision from a supervisory perspective and lacks a …

Mitigating Mental Health Disparities: Ethnic Matching As A Moderating Variable On Help Seeking Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Max Oishi

The Bear Counseling Collective

There are significant mental health treatment disparities for racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) populations (Lin et al., 2023; McGuire & Miranda, 2008; Thomeer et al., 2023). These disparities include REM populations seeking help for mental health treatment at differing rates compared to European Americans along with significant treatment underutilization for REM populations along with intergroup differences (Choi et al., 2019; Hosseini & Kubavat, 2022; Kim & Lee, 2022; Kwong et al., 2025; Schraufnagel et al., 2006; Sheehan et al., 2018 & 2024). Due to underutilization, research suggests ethnic matching and/or racial matching could mediate mental health disparities for REM populations …

Volume 3 (2026), The Bear Counseling Collective

The Bear Counseling Collective

A journal of student counselors' reflections on culturally attentive mental health care and advocacy.

Living Between Lines: A Conceptual Paper For An Empirical Study Exploring The Impact Of Gendered Racial Socialization On Black Women In Emerging Adulthood, Danielle C. Hickman

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract

Black women in emerging adulthood (ages 18–29) navigate the intersection of racial and gender socialization processes that are largely absent from mainstream developmental and psychological research. Existing scholarship often examines race and gender separately, thereby overlooking the compounded psychological effects experienced by Black emerging adult women (BEAW) as they negotiate cultural scripts such as the Strong Black Woman and Angry Black Woman. This conceptual paper outlines a research framework for an empirical study examining the relationship between gendered-racial socialization and psychological well-being among BEAW, and the extent to which cultural scripts moderate this relationship. Grounded in an integrated theoretical …

Adapting To Change: A Mixed Methods Approach To Understand How Colleges And Universities Are Utilizing Animals To Help Students Transition Into Higher Education, Christopher Puglisi, Shalini Mathew, Nicole D. Schutter, Monte Meyerink, Abiah George

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Individuals experience several changes in their lives, with one of the most impactful being leaving home to attend college. It is no surprise that college-age students need mental health support, especially in times of adjustment. To address this adjustment, animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have recently gained substantial attention. In this study, college and university departments that help students transition to higher education were surveyed (N = 59) and interviewed (N = 6) to understand how AAI are utilized. Results indicate that AAI have potential to ease students’ higher education transition, though institutions must establish an outline that states the benefits of …

How Partner Support Impacts The Intimate Relationship Quality Of Adult Childhood Sexual Abuse (Csa) Survivors: A Qualitative Study, Colin E. Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) often experience long-term disruptions in their ability to form and maintain healthy adult intimate relationships. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how adult survivors described partner support and its impact on their relational healing and the quality of their intimate relationships. Eleven adults who had experienced CSA and had participated in a committed intimate relationship lasting at least 12 months were recruited through a combination of convenience, purposive, and snowball sampling. Data were collected through demographic questionnaires, a Lived Experiences Timeline Activity (LETA) sheet, semi-structured interviews, field notes, and memos. …

Experiences Of Mozambican Women Before, During, And After Divorce: A Phenomenology, Emídio Mário Dimande

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand the transitional experiences of women in Mozambique from marital conflict through post-divorce life. It was guided by Schlossberg's Transition Theory (STT). The theory supported exploration of the psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of women’s lived experiences of divorce and patterns surfaced that deepened understanding of their realities. Using an interpretive phenomenological design, data were collected from 15 women, aged 19 and older, residing in Mozambique, who had experienced marriage and divorce, through a demographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using the Moustakas’ phenomenological approach, including horizonalization and clustering verified …

Growing Up Without A Father: A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Black Women In The Church, Jada She'ree Adger Byrd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Black women who grew up in the faith community without a present father in the Southern region of the United States. The central research question that guided this study was, "What are the lived experiences of Black women who grew up in the faith community without a present father?" The theory that guided this study was intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989, 1991), as this theory provides a framework for the understanding of how intersecting identities, including race, gender, and spirituality, shape an individual’s interpretation of father absence. This study …

Animal-Assisted Therapy: An Exploration Of The Utilization Of Animal-Assisted Therapy, Ashleigh R. Perry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been increasingly incorporated into professional counseling practice, yet limited research has examined the factors associated with counselors’ reported utilization of animal-assisted interventions (AAI). Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior-informed framework, this quantitative, nonexperimental correlational study examined whether subjective norms predicted counselors’ reported AAI utilization, with attitudes and perceived behavioral control included as covariates. Multicultural competence was examined first as an overall mediator and then through the parallel mediating pathways of multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Following data screening, 28 participant responses were retained for the primary analysis. Multiple regression and mediation analyses using PROCESS Model …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Men Who Voluntarily Remain Childless, Sylvia Joan Muglia

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe men’s experiences choosing to remain childless in Southeast (Detroit) Michigan. The theory guiding this study was Blackstone’s Theoretical Framework on Voluntary Childlessness. Rich, descriptive data were collected using a short demographic questionnaire and twelve semi-structured interviews that answered three research questions guiding this study: (1) How do men in Southeast (Detroit) Michigan describe experiences choosing to remain childless? (2) How do men in Southeast (Detroit) Michigan recount any impact from adverse childhood experiences which contribute to their decision to remain childless? (3) How do men in Southeast (Detroit) Michigan explain the …

Exploring Self-Care And Mental Health Resilience Among Black Female Mental Health Therapists In Practice, Rhonda R. Mark

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Black women who serve as mental health therapists often carry a unique and invisible load, borne from caring deeply for their clients while also navigating the daily realities of race and gender bias, both inside and outside of their profession. In that context, this study examines how Black female therapists working in clinical practice care for themselves and stay emotionally resilient in the face of these challenges. It adopts a qualitative, phenomenological approach, and is grounded in intersectionality and Black feminist thought, with the goal of elevating the personal stories and lived experiences of 10 participants. Their reflections offer a …

Mandated Reporting Experiences And Professional Quality Of Life Among Missouri K-12 Mandated Reporters, Kristina L. Gregory

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Child maltreatment is associated with significant developmental, psychological, and behavioral consequences for children. Educators often serve as frontline identifiers of suspected abuse and neglect and are legally required to report concerns to the state’s child welfare agency. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study was to examine relationships among mandated reporting exposure, perceived reporting ambiguity, trust in Missouri’s Children’s Division, and professional quality of life among Missouri K–12 school-based mandated reporters. Professional quality of life was measured through compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. This study brings these factors together to better understand how educators’ reporting experiences and …