EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Counselor Education

The counseling profession continues to make progress in establishing a unified counseling identity, a goal that will lead to multiple benefits for professional counselors and the clients they serve. Counselor educators who train future counselors have a fundamental impact on counseling students' developing professional identity. However, little research exists regarding the professional identity of counselor educators. Within the fields of nursing, medicine, pharmacy, occupational therapy and dentistry, academic clinical practice has been studied and recognized as an important component in professional identity. Similarly, within psychology, the scientist-practitioner model maintains that an emphasis on both clinical practice and research will result in more effective training of new psychologists, while allowing science to inform their work with clients. The present mixed method study investigated the prevalence of counseling faculty clinical practice and how practicing and non-practicing counselor educators understand and construct their professional identity. Of 138 surveyed counselor educators, 66.7% reported that they have engaged in clinical practice while a faculty member with an average of 8.35 years in practice (SD = 9.49). Participants also indicated that 48.6% currently spend time in clinical practice. Faculty rank (p < .01), holding a PC license (p < .001), and number of years in the mental health field (p < .05) were all significantly related to clinical practice while serving as a faculty member. Holding a psychology license was significantly related (p < .024) to currently occurring clinical practice. Qualitative interview data of six self-selected participants revealed five themes related to counselor educators' understanding and construction of their professional identities: (a) mentoring and supervisory relationships both during and after master's and/or doctoral training had a profound impact on the participants' views of themselves as professiona (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Geoffrey Yager PhD (Committee Chair); Jayne Treinen-Yager EdD (Committee Member); Ellen Piel Cook PhD (Committee Member); Miriam Raider-Roth EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch Seattle: Counselor Education & Supervision

Supporting the development of an antiracist identity in counselors could facilitate change toward equity, justice, and opportunity within the counseling profession and increase awareness of white counselors in working with clients of color. Understanding obstacles to and enablers of antiracist attitudes in white women counselors holds the potential to bring change to the profession as a whole, given their position in the majority. This quantitative study used instruments to assess white racial affects of white fear, anger, and guilt along with antiracist self-efficacy as influencing antiracist accountability in a sample of white women counselors in the United States (N = 64). White fear was shown to have a moderate inverse relationship with antiracist accountability, and white anger was demonstrated to have a moderate positive relationship with antiracist accountability. White guilt did not show a statistically significant influence. Both white fear and white anger were mediated by antiracist self-efficacy, and a strong positive relationship was shown between antiracist self-efficacy and antiracist accountability. Implications for the counseling profession, the practice of counseling, and counselor education are presented. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Shawn Patrick (Committee Chair); Stephanie Thorson-Olesen (Committee Member); Katherine Fort (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Counseling Education; Mental Health

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Counselor Education

The professional identity of school counselors is an essential aspect of the profession as it guides them in their decision-making and helps define their role within the school system. Supervision presents an opportunity for school counselors to augment and refine their competencies in addressing the evolving and developmental necessities of pre-K-12th grade students (American School Counseling Association [ASCA], 2022b). Part of the supervision experience also includes how supervisees process and develop their professional identity. Navigating the intricacies of professional identity is a critical component of the supervision process, as it requires careful consideration of the challenges and nuances inherent in the field. However, maintaining a professional identity can be challenging given the complexities and dynamic nature of the profession. The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, to provide a comprehensive overview of the research on school counselor supervision and professional identity development, including the identification of the gaps in the current body of literature to address the ongoing needs in the field of school counseling supervision. The study introduced readers to a novel and innovative school counselor supervision model, the Consulting Triadic Supervision Model (CTSM). Secondly, this study sought to investigate the impact of that model on school counselors' professional identity by exploring their experiences after participating in the CTSM. The results indicated a significant enhancement in PSCI development following their participation in the CTSM. The results revealed six themes included (1) Say Yes – to CTSM, which included three sub-themes of (a) feeling new and (b) still developing, (c) mentoring, (2) School Counseling is a Culture, (3) CTSM - The Bi-directional Benefits of Supervision, (4) Triadic Supervision Synergy, with two sub-themes of (a) the Heart of PSCI and (b) cultivation of PSCI, (5) Bridging theory to practice, with t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mei Tang Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Vanessa Allen-Brown Ph.D. (Committee Member); Andrew Wood Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rachel Saunders Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, 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 se (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Colette Dollarhide (Advisor); Samantha Bates (Committee Member); Tanya Middleton (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2023, Counselor Education and Supervision

This study examined the contribution of affirmative training and implicit bias on affectional identity counselor competencies among new professionals. Data were collected from June to August 2023. New professionals from across the four geographic regions of the United States (N = 92) completed an online Qualtrics survey comprised of four instruments: (1) the survey-software Implicit Association Test (IAT), (2) the Affirmative Training Inventory-Student Version (ATI-S), the Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS), and a demographic questionnaire. Canonical correlation was used to investigate the research hypothesis. Results demonstrated that affirmative training and implicit bias were statistically significantly related to affectional identity counselor competencies among new professionals. Notably, lower levels of affirmative training in counseling graduate classrooms, less affirmative stances in counseling graduate programs, and higher levels of implicit bias were associated with lower awareness, knowledge, and skills competencies. However, univariate regression analyses revealed that only implicit bias was statistically significantly related to the three affectional identity counselor competency factors (Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills). Results suggested that affirmative training and implicit bias can be crucial in developing and enhancing affectional identity counselor competencies. Limitations and recommendations for further research on affirmative training, implicit bias, and affectional identity counselor competencies were discussed.

Committee: Varunee Faii Sangganjanavanich (Advisor); Robert Schwartz (Committee Member); Delila Owens (Committee Member); Yue Dang (Committee Member); Ronald Otterstetter (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Multicultural Education

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch Seattle: Counselor Education & Supervision

This exploratory quantitative study tests the effectiveness of a three-hour Transgender Training Intervention for increasing the gender identity competence of counselors and counselors-in-training. Participants (N = 4) were recruited online and completed the 20-item Counselor Competence Gender Identity Survey (CCGIS) before and after the virtual training intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that mean total CCGIS scores increased from 127.0 in the pretest to 138.75 in the posttest, a 9.25% increase. The largest gains were made on the Gaining Knowledge/Skills to Counsel Gender Diverse Individuals subscale (CCGIS-KS). Mean scores on the CCGIS-KS increased from 24.25 in the pretest to 32.0 in the posttest, a 31.96% increase. The study provides evidence that specialized training can increase the ability of counseling professionals to meet the needs of transgender clients. Counselors should seek such opportunities to better serve this highly marginalized population. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Stephanie Thorson-Olesen Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Colin Ward Ph.D. (Committee Member); Angela Goethel Ed.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology; Mental Health; Multicultural Education; Pedagogy; Psychotherapy; School Counseling

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch Seattle: Counselor Education & Supervision

This study examines counselor professional identity and burnout for clinical mental health counselors. The population of focus included licensed or license-eligible Clinical Mental Health Counselors, who were post-grad (N=53). Participants then completed the Professional Identity Scale in Counseling - Short Form and the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services Survey. When examining the findings regarding the relationship between Counselor Professional Identity and Burnout for this study, the initial observation revealed the validity and applicability of the MBI-HSS to clinical mental health counselors. Though a relationship between Burnout and Counselor Professional Identity was not identified, relationships between sub-scale items were noteworthy. Implications for counselor education and supervision are presented. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Colin Ward Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mariaimee Gonzalez Ph.D. (Committee Member); Stephanie Thorson-Olesen Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology; Education; Educational Psychology; Mental Health; Psychology; Quantitative Psychology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Counselor Education

Multicultural competency is a requirement for counselors and among White counselors this involves understanding racial identity and its development as this impacts their clinical work with Black clients. The purpose of this study was to explore White counselors' racial identity development and gain an understanding of how this impacts the development of the therapeutic relationship with Black clients through a phenomenological qualitative research study. Three research questions guided the focus of this study. Prior to this research study, there was no literature exploring White racial identity and the impact it has the development of a therapeutic relationship with Black clients. Seven White female counselors licensed in Ohio who provide counseling to Black clients participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase thematic analysis framework were used for this phenomenological study. Helms (1984; 1990; 1995) White Racial Identity Model was the framework used to analyze the data, which provided four evolving themes. The findings demonstrated the need for greater cultural competency and racial identity development among White counselors to provide competent counseling to Black clients. The information obtained from this study has the capability to better the counseling profession, spark changes in training and education for White counselors to understand their racial identity and its impact on clinical work with Black clients, and generate more competent counselors to provide counseling to Black clients through the future advocacy and unification of educational requirements and continuing education requirements for licensed counselors.

Committee: Andrew Wood Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Antar Tichavakunda Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rachel Saunders Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, Counselor Education (Education)

This dissertation investigated counseling students' professional identity, locus of control, and their impact on counseling students' attitudes toward professional help-seeking in the United States. For the aim of this quantitative study, a correlational research design to explore possible causal relationships among variables using multiple regression, two-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was implemented. The researcher used the Demographic Questionnaire, Attitudes Toward Professional Help Seeking Scale-Short Form (ATPHS-SF), Professional Identity Scale in Counseling-Short Form (PISCSF), and Locus of Control Scale. According to the stepwise regression Model 2 (Professional Identity and Learning Environment) was the best model to predict ATPHS, explaining 5.7% of the variance in the dependent variable. Spearman's rank correlation test demonstrated that professional competency, attitudes towards the profession and PISC Total had the highest correlations with the dependent variable of ATPHS. Two-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis were used to explore the relationship between variables. According to the results of the two-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation, age, and ATPHS were positively correlated. The findings of this study provide implications for counseling leaders, counselor educators, and advisors of counseling students to train future professional counselors. Limitations and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

Committee: Tamarine Foreman (Advisor); Bilal Urkmez (Committee Member); Gordon Brooks (Committee Member); Yegan Pillay (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2022, Counselor Education and Supervision

The relationship that academic entitlement and professional identity have with self- efficacy has been studied in previous research, but how these constructs are associated within the counseling literature is lacking. The present study investigated whether academic entitlement (as measured by two subscales of the Academic Entitlement Scale) and/or professional identity (as measured by three subscales of the Professional Identity Scale in Counseling – Short Form) are predictors of counseling self-efficacy (as measured by the Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale) among a sample population (N = 97) of counselor trainees from across the United States. Results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that two traits of professional identity, Professional Knowledge and Attitude toward Profession, were significant positive predictors of counseling self-efficacy. These results indicated that when counselor trainees are knowledgeable about and/or possess a positive perspective regarding the counseling profession, it is associated with stronger beliefs in the ability to effectively counsel a client. However, the traits of academic entitlement examined in the present study were not significant predictors of counseling self-efficacy. Implications for self-efficacy theory, counselor trainees, counseling practice, counselor educators and supervisors, and future research were discussed.

Committee: Robert Schwartz (Committee Chair); Varunee Faii Sangganjanavanich (Committee Member); Seungbum Lee (Committee Member); David Tefteller (Committee Member); Yue Dang (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Counselor Education (Education)

Counseling leaders have published guidelines for enhancing professional counselor identity. The goal of these calls to action is to strengthen and unify the counseling profession in order to differentiate the field from other helping professions and to solidify a definition of professional counselor identity. One facet of professional counselor identity lies in counselors' level of engagement with research engagement, otherwise defined as research identity. Counselors must consistently engage in research activities in order to utilize evidence-based clinical practices and evaluate the efficacy of treatment interventions. However, counseling scholars discuss the need for increased research engagement across the profession. The training of counselors begins at the master's level in counseling education programs, which provide the foundation for professional counselor identity, including research engagement. Many scholars have discussed research identity development among doctoral counselor education students, but little information exists which explicates this concept among master's students. This study provides quantitative data regarding counselor education master's students research identity, specifically in relation to three key constructs of research identity: research motivation, research competence, and advisory working alliance. Through this study, I accomplished three objectives: (1) describe the level of self-reported perceived research competency among master's-level counselor education students in CACREP-accredited programs in the NCACES region, (2) describe relationships among participants' self-reported research competency, research motivation, and perceptions of advisory working alliance, and (3) describe relationships among participants' self-reported research competency, research motivation, and perceptions of advisory working alliance and age, gender, program specialty area, undergraduate major, number of terms in the master's program, and number (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christine Bhat (Committee Chair); Gordon Brooks (Committee Member); Yegan Pillay (Committee Member); Tamarine Foreman (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2020, Counselor Education

Many students who identify as trans* experience discrimination, harassment, and marginalization in their homes, communities, and schools. Professional School Counselors are positioned as pillars of support and advocacy for trans* and gender-expansive youth as dictated by professional standards, however, literature reflects a lack of confidence and competence in working with trans* youth and their families. There is a dearth of professional counseling literature that addresses factors leading to increased school counselor competence with trans* students. The current study proposes to expand this research, through a cross-sectional survey design, surveying professional school counselors in the United States working with students in the K-12 public school system. This study has implications for professional school counselors, CITs, and counselor education programs.

Committee: Madeline Clark (Committee Chair); Hansori Jang (Committee Member); Tahani Dari (Committee Member); Stacey Litam (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Gender; School Counseling

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Counselor Education (Education)

Members of the counseling profession and counselor education have been striving to strengthen the profession. Counselor education has especially been recognized as the factor that shapes the helping philosophy and professional identity. Among counselor education, the Council of for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has been the accrediting body that influences the direction of counselor education since 1981. Several revisions of CACREP Standards have been made over the past three decades, with the 2016 CACREP Standards as the latest revision. However, it was unknown that whether counselor educators perceived the standards as relevant to counselor education and as clear to interpret. In addition, literature has not yet explored the next movement of counselor education and the counseling profession. Therefore, the purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the relevance and clarity of the 2016 CACREP Standards, and to explore the future trends in the counseling profession and counselor education. Using a mixed-methods design, the researcher collected the perception of core faculty counselor educators and program liaisons (N = 155) in the CACREP accredited programs on the relevance and clarity of the 2016 CACREP Standards using two online surveys. In addition, the opinions of ACA Fellows and those referred by ACA Fellows on the future of counseling profession were obtained through qualitative interviews. The results of each section were collected, analyzed, and merged for discussion to strengthen the findings of this study. The results of the quantitative section showed that, generally, participants perceived the 2016 CACREP Standards as relevant to counselor education and clear for interpretation. Two standards (1.W and 1.D) from Section 1 to Section 4 of the 2016 CACREP Standards were rated lower than 0.9 (i.e., more than 10% of participants perceived them as non-relevant) on their relevance. In addition, four stan (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Yegan Pillay (Committee Chair); Thomas Davis (Committee Member); Christine Bhat (Committee Member); Gordon Brooks (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2014, Counselor Education and Supervision

The public's perception of counselors has been a topic of concern for many researchers. However, research examining the attitudes towards seeking mental health services and the effect such perceptions have on the propensity of public use is in its prime. Such knowledge is necessary for the benefit of the consumer as well as concerned mental health professional organizations. Furthermore, the ability to discriminate consumer perception based on the professional identity of the mental health service provider will serve as a benchmark for a young profession- counseling- to understand its current status in the minds of the general public, in comparison to related mental health professions, and for counseling professional organizations to better allocate resources aimed at professional advocacy efforts. As potential consumers of mental health services, it is of great merit to understand college students' perceptions of mental health professionals' therapeutic competence, and their attitudes towards seeking services based on the identity of the mental health service provider; i.e. counselor, psychologist, or social worker. This study provided an overview of - three helping professions: counseling, psychology, and social work. Additionally, it expanded upon the circumstances surrounding the origination of each discipline and their governing bodies, current vocational opportunities and average salaries for members of each discipline, the rationale for conducting this study and the psychometric properties of the instrument- the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS)- utilized by this study. The primary hypothesis which suggested a significant difference in student perception of the mental health professional's level of competence with respect to the identity of the professional was tested. Additionally, student attitudes towards seeking mental health services were measured and a comparison on the basis of the identity of the helper was drawn. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: John M. Laux (Committee Chair); Nick Piazza (Committee Member); Christopher Roseman (Committee Member); Mojisola F. Tiamiyu (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2009, Counselor Education and Supervision

This study investigated how counselors develop into advocates for the counseling profession. Qualitative case study design was used when interviewing eight counselor advocates. Participants were chosen randomly from a list of attendees who were present at the 2008 state legislative advocacy training. Qualitative analysis was used to explore the data. Inductive and deductive reasoning was used to assist in coding data. As patterns emerged the data was clumped into four major themes. The four elements that effected the counselors' journey toward becoming an advocate included education, mentorship, professional aspects, and personal aspects. The findings of this research indicated the positive impact that education and mentorship had on counselors becoming an advocate for the profession. Participants also discussed the positive influence that professional membership and professional identity has on advocacy endeavors. Moreover, participants gave details about the effects of personal aspects such as personal characteristics and personal experiences. This research supported findings in previous research and added information that has not yet been studied. It showed results that have implications on the counseling profession, counselor training programs, mentors, supervisors, students, and individual counselors. Additionally, this research gives a foundation for future researchers to build upon.

Committee: John E. Queener PhD (Advisor) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; Adult Education; Behaviorial Sciences; Continuing Education; Developmental Psychology; Education; Educational Psychology; Families and Family Life; Higher Education; Mental Health; Psychology; Social Research; Social Work; Teacher educati

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2009, Counselor Education and Supervision

Racial Climate, Black Racial Identity, and Acculturative Stress have been found to be important variables among African Americans while in college. However, these variables have received no attention in the literature as it relates to African American graduate students in CACREP-Accredited counselor trainee programs. This study explored these variables among African Americans in CACREP-Accredited Counselor Education Programs. Four general research hypotheses were developed and tested in this study using a sample of 116 participants. Three measurement instruments and a demographic questionnaire were utilized to obtain psychometric data and test hypotheses: the Counselor Education Climate Survey (CECS), the CRIS (Vandiver et al., 2000), the Acculturative Stress Scale (ACS; Williams-Flournoy & Anderson, 1996), and a demographic questionnaire (e.g., age, sex, race, undergraduate experience, and graduate level). Out of the 17 Specific Hypotheses that were tested 13 were statistically significant and 4 were not. For General Hypothesis 1, all six of the subscales that measured Black racial identity except for multiculturalist inclusive were significantly correlated with acculturative stress. None of the Specific Hypotheses that measured relationship between Black racial identity and racial climate, for General Hypotheses 2, were statistically significant. General Hypothesis 3, which investigated the relationship between acculturative stress and racial climate contained four specific hypotheses that were all statistically significant. Lastly, General Hypothesis 4 investigated the relationship between Black racial identity, acculturative stress, and type of undergraduate institution on perceptions of racial climate. All four of the Specific Hypotheses used to test this research hypothesis were found to be statistically significant. Further implications of the results are discussed. Finally, limitations and recommendations for future research are explored.

Committee: Cynthia Reynolds PhD (Committee Chair) Subjects: Multicultural Education