Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

This qualitative study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of college students with mental health disabilities when requesting and using accommodations. Using a phenomenological approach aided in understanding the meaning of the lived experiences by considering their feelings and emotions. Findings showed that there are barriers preventing students from enrolling with the office of disabilities, during the enrollment process, and when using accommodations. An action plan was created to focus on professional development, increasing resources, and creating partnerships that will lead to more students being served. The plan included an assessment of knowledge and gaps in training to develop a curriculum to generate new practices and to create partnerships among professionals to better serve students.

Committee: Davin J. Carr-Chellman (Committee Chair); Ellen Taylor (Committee Member); Meredith L. Wronowski (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; Adult Education; Counseling Education; Gifted Education; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Mental Health; Personal Relationships; Rehabilitation; School Administration; School Counseling; Social Psychology; Social Work; Vocational 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

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of conducting this qualitative research was to investigate Middle Eastern international students' perceptions of individual mental health counseling services at their colleges/universities in the U.S. An Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA) developed by Smith et al. (2009) was used to analyze the data. Six participants (three females and three males) participated in two individual interviews. Both interviews were conducted during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Therefore, interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams rather than in a face-to-face format to keep participants and the researcher safe. Two superordinate themes and five subthemes emerged from analyzing the data. The first superordinate theme was Mental Health Counseling Services are Unsafe to a Point. The three subthemes that emerged within the first superordinate theme were influence of cultural stigma, misinformation surrounding mental health counseling services, and mistrust related to English as a second language. The second superordinate theme was College Mental Health Counseling is Progressively Effective and Supportive. The subthemes that developed within the second superordinate theme were shifting generational perceptions of mental health counseling services and personal experiences with professional counselors.

Committee: Cassandra Storlie (Advisor); Jason McGlothlin (Advisor); Natasha Levinson (Committee Member); Kelly Cichy (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2018, Public Administration

Over the past decade, the topic of mental health on college campuses across America has gained increasing attention and invoked interest as to what institutions of higher education should do to offset what appears to be a changing shift in mental health conditions presented by students to college counseling centers. This exploratory study examines the challenges of providing mental health services to students on campuses across the United States and how it has evolved over the years. It looks to identify the type of providers utilized at counseling centers, the processes utilized at the centers for primary intake and the decision-making processes used as students enter the system. Participants in this study were requested to respond to a questionnaire that included both closed and open-ended questions and designed to obtain pertinent information to determine how counseling centers were handling the shift in mental health services. After several university counselors were consulted, a questionnaire was delivered to 213 current counseling directors across the country with 80 usable responses. Herbert Simon's decision theoretical model was used to determine how the counseling process takes place at college counseling centers. Participants in this study responded to an eight-question questionnaire, made up of four parts. The first part was to determine if the school was public or private. The second part was designed to determine the intake process and wait time at centers today. The third part was eliciting information on the use of a community provider, the level of complexity of students presenting at counseling centers today versus 10 to 15 years ago, and what barriers students are facing to receive mental health services. The fourth part of the questionnaire requested information on challenges facing counselors today and how they are working to overcome them to accommodate students as needed. Recommendations for alternative methods of improvement include: e (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Raymond Cox (Committee Chair); Nicholas Zingale (Committee Member); Namkyung Oh (Committee Member); Karin Jordan (Committee Member); Ghazi Falah (Committee Member) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Counseling Psychology; Mental Health

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2017, Counselor Education (Education)

Counseling and mental health treatment has been in existence for decades. This progressing profession continues to meet the needs of our diverse society. Despite the professions progression, the African American population remains undeserved; therefore, the Black Church and religious leaders have become a resource addressing spiritual, religious, emotional and psychological needs. Although, pastors are often the primary and only source of support for addressing mental health and spiritual needs, pastors are confronted with issues beyond their scope of practice, specifically knowledge surrounding severe pathology and DSM diagnoses (Farrell & Goebert, 2008; Weaver, 1995). Regardless of limited knowledge and skills in mental health, options for a referral by Black pastors for external mental health services are slim and in some cases, nonexistent. As a solution, pastors have implemented their own methods, such as casting out demons and divine healing to address mental health issues in the Pentecostal Church (Belcher & Hall, 2001). Mental health counselors are beginning to view the Black Pentecostal Church as a gateway to reach an undeserved population through the means of fostering collaboration. However, literature suggests reluctance in Black Pentecostal pastors collaborating with mental health counselors (Mollica et al., 1986). The perception of Black Pentecostal Pastors is influential in how they address mental health, and can contribute to their reluctance in referring their parishioners for external mental health services, especially if the presented issue of the parishioner is perceived as a spiritual matter (Petty & Krosnick, 2014). To understand the perceptions of Black Pentecostal Pastors towards mental health and collaborating with mental health counselors, this research investigation used in-depth semi-structured interviews with six Black male Pentecostal Pastors as the main data collection method to address the following questions: 1) What are the percepti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mona Robinson PhD (Committee Chair); Adah Ward-Randolph PhD (Committee Member); Nikol Bowen PhD (Committee Member); Adrienne Erby PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Counseling Education; Mental Health; Pastoral Counseling

Master of Arts, Marietta College, 2024, Psychology

Tattoos may be one variable that influences the quality of the client therapist relationship. Previous researchers have found some evidence of public stigma and negative attributes toward health professionals displaying tattoos. The present study investigates people's impressions of clinical counseling job candidates with varying sizes and locations of tattoos. In addition, participant's eye movement duration on the candidate's tattoos was measured using a Tobii Pro Fusion eye-tracker. As hypothesized, the counseling candidate with large tattoos received more negative ratings of professional competency compared to the candidate with no tattoos. Unexpectedly, there were no significant associations between participants' competency ratings and eye-movement measures. The results from this research suggest that impressions of mental health counselors may be trending in a more positive direction, although some negative impressions of people with large tattoos still exists. Other findings are discussed in the context of the client-therapist relationship.

Committee: Charles Doan Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mark Sibicky Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Mental Health; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Counselor Education

With health information readily available on the Internet and social media, mental health counselors (MHCs) must stay informed of the current virtual trends and how clients are utilizing them. Evidence shows that the Internet and social media aid in the self-diagnosis of mental disorders. Despite this, researchers have yet to explore how MHCs are working with clients who utilize the Internet and social media to research and diagnose themselves with mental disorders. The author of the present study adopted a constructivist grounded theory to examine the experiences of MHCs and how they are counseling clients who self-diagnose via the Internet and social media. Twenty participants who have experience working with clients across the lifespan that have rendered a self-diagnosis either from an Internet search or via social media were interviewed. The data collected from their interviews informed a theoretical model showcasing six themes: (a) Origins of Self-Diagnosis, (b) Treatment-Seeking Behaviors, (c) Counselor Identity, (d) Therapeutic Collaboration, (e) Therapeutic Interventions, and (f) Outcomes of Therapeutic Exploration. The results of this study inform implications for future research and practice on the topic of client self-diagnosis via the Internet and social media.

Committee: Madeline Clark (Committee Chair); Jennifer Reynolds (Committee Member); Susan Long (Committee Member); John Laux (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Mental Health

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 Toledo, 2021, Counselor Education

There are roughly 440,000 fostered youth living in the United States. Coupled with experiences of child welfare inequalities, foster youth are at an increased risk to develop mental and behavioral health issues. Mental health counselors are trained to advocate for their clients mental and emotional wellbeing. However, minimal research demonstrates a counselors' ability to work with foster youth. The current study adds to the current body of research surrounding fostered youth, using a constructivist lens and Transcendental Phenomenology to explore the experiences of mental health counselors working with fostered youth. Participants (N = 11) were interviewed about their knowledge, skills, and feelings of preparedness to work with fostered youth in a clinical setting. Implications for counseling practice, supervision, and counselor education are provided.

Committee: Madeline Clark (Committee Chair); John Laux (Committee Member); Susan Long (Committee Member); Jennifer Reynolds (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Mental Health

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2021, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

This dissertation explored interdisciplinary team functioning on a long-term adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit. It compared staff perceptions (MHCs, clinicians, and nurses) of interdisciplinary coherence and unit effectiveness. This study was particularly focused on understanding MHCs perceptions of team functioning and how satisfied team members are with their level of input and involvement in team decision-making. Additionally, this study explored possible barriers to effective team functioning in this setting. Eighty-four participants in this study completed the Interdisciplinary Team Process and Performance Survey (ITPPS) to assess perceptions of team functioning. Participants answered additional questions assessing barriers to communication and collaboration and levels of satisfaction with their input in the team's decision-making process. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to compare perceptions of team cohesion and team effectiveness across occupations. Results suggest that there is a significant difference among the three occupational groups regarding their perceptions of how their team functions, with MHCs having more negative perceptions of team processes than nurses and clinicians. This team ranked the three highest barriers to communication and collaboration: (a) Differences in accountability, payment, and rewards; (b) Hierarchy; and (c) Lack of training for MHCs. Regarding levels of satisfaction, results showed that MHCs reported the lowest levels of satisfaction, while clinicians rated the highest levels of satisfaction. With these findings, recommendations were made for ways in which long-term inpatient adolescent psychiatric hospitals can work to improve their interdisciplinary team functioning to increase job satisfaction and improve patient care.

Committee: Martha Straus Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Barbara Belcher-Timme Psy.D. (Committee Member); George Tremblay Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2016, Counseling Psychology

A counselor's ability to manage his or her emotions is central to connecting with the client and working through the client's distressing issues (Hill, 2009; Rogers, 1975; Skovholt, 2005). Despite its centrality to the counseling process, and thus counselor professional development and competency, counselor emotion management has been minimally researched. Counseling work can result in burnout or compassion fatigue (CF; Figley, 2002; Kahn, 1993; Lim, Kim, Kim, Yang, & Lee, 2010), as well as compassion satisfaction (CS; Killian, 2008; Stamm, 2006, 2009). By drawing on emotional labor research (Hochschild, 1983), the current study examined emotion management variables of: deep acting (DA, engendering emotions within oneself); surface acting (SA, feigning or suppressing emotions); and authentically-expressed emotions (AEE) in addition to emotional dissonance in two forms – as it relates to professional requirements (emotion-rule dissonance, or ERD; Morris & Feldman, 1996; Rafaeli & Sutton, 1987), or as the discord between that expressed externally and internally felt (emotion-display dissonance, or EDD; Cote, 2005; Hochschild, 1983) in relation to the above outcomes. Positive and negative affectivity (PA, NA) were examined as antecedents to the above variables. Structural Equation Modeling found that alternate measurement structures and structural model better fit the data than what was proposed. Specifically, direct and indirect relationships were found between PA and some emotion management and outcome variables, while NA was predictive only of some outcomes. Study implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are reviewed.

Committee: Amber Hewitt Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Psychobiology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Psychology/Clinical

Although research has been done on social stigma and its effects on individuals in marginalized groups, relatively little is known about the effects of secondary stigma for those people who are associated with stigmatized individuals, such as mental health professionals. Using a sample of 196 mental health professionals who work with sexual offenders (64 sexual offender counselors), serious mental illness (64 case managers), and college students (68 college counselors), the present research examined mental health professionals' experience of secondary stigma, personal growth, professional burnout, and job choice regret as a function of working with clients. The mixed-method research design includes a qualitative analysis of mental health professionals' descriptions of secondary stigma and the impact of their work on their professional and personal lives. The psychometric properties of the newly developed measure, the Mental Health Professionals Secondary Stigma Scale (MHPSSS) were also evaluated. Findings suggest that sex offender counselors reported experiencing more secondary stigma and depersonalization than case managers and college counselors. Case managers reported higher levels of personal growth followed by college counselors and sexual offender counselors. All three samples of mental health professionals identified positive and negative aspects of their work. Implications of findings for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Committee: Catherine Stein (Advisor); Michael Zickar (Committee Member); Dryw Dworsky (Committee Member); Laura Sanchez (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology