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The Lived Experiences of Professional Counselors in NCAA Division I Athletic Departments

Sumler, Charron T
http://orcid.org/0009-0000-9984-6433
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713116055412224

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Educational Studies.
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of professional counselors embedded in NCAA Division I athletic departments. Specifically, what are the pre-professional, educational, and professional experiences of licensed or license-eligible professional counselors who are/have been employed by or embedded in NCAA Division 1 Athletic Departments? Since 2019, a variety of licensed mental health providers have been embedded into college athletic departments to support the mental health and well-being of student athletes. There is currently no literature that documents how licensed professional counselors approach their work embedded in college athletic departments nor how they prepare to do so. The problem this study was intended to address is the lack of preparedness and job clarity for licensed professional counselors working in college athletic departments. Similar studies exploring the experiences of social workers (Beasley et al., 2021) and registered dieticians (Antle et al., 2021) in NCAA Division I Athletic Departments have successfully used phenomenological inquiry to provide rich data and information used to help improve student athlete health outcomes and professional staff retention through exploration of professionals’ experiences. This phenomenological study used data from 10 semi-structured interviews to understand the experiences of professional counselors embedded in college athletic departments. Analysis of the transcripts resulted in three major themes and eight subthemes: (1) Athletic Counselor Role & Professional Counselors Approach to Service Delivery, (2) Counselor Professional Identity, (3) Culture of Athletics. The participants identified systemic concerns related to their job positions, namely where they are housed physically and organizationally. The participants’ ability to effectively deliver services was influenced by their proximity to the environment, ability to adapt clinical service delivery, and aptitude to build relationships within the ecosystem. Limitations and implications of this study and recommendations for future research were discussed.
Colette Dollarhide (Advisor)
Samantha Bates (Committee Member)
Tanya Middleton (Committee Member)
161 p.
Counseling Education
mental health, athlete mental health, collegiate athletics, NCAA, professional identity development, interprofessional care, professional counselors, athletic counselor

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sumler, C. T. (2024). The Lived Experiences of Professional Counselors in NCAA Division I Athletic Departments [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713116055412224

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sumler, Charron. The Lived Experiences of Professional Counselors in NCAA Division I Athletic Departments. 2024. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713116055412224.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sumler, Charron. "The Lived Experiences of Professional Counselors in NCAA Division I Athletic Departments." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713116055412224

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1713116055412224
301
© 2024, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.