Professional counseling associations and ethical accrediting bodies mandate that counseling programs, counselor educators, and leaders in the counseling field uphold a commitment to the recruitment, employment, and retention of ethnically and culturally diverse faculty. Despite written standards and growth in the profession, faculty of color in counselor education programs continue to be significantly underrepresented at the assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor ranks. Additionally, the overall percentage of faculty of color decreases as academic rank increases, which suggests issues related to retention and promotion. Mentorship has been recommended as an important and necessary strategy to retain and promote historically marginalized people. However, little is known about how mentoring is used as a retention strategy for faculty of color in counselor education. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perspectives of faculty of color in counselor education programs accredited by CACREP, and their perception of mentorship, retention, and promotion. The primary researcher utilized a social constructivism paradigm, transcendental phenomenological approach, and responsive interviewing approach to semi-structured interviews. Fifteen participants employed at CACREP-accredited universities across the U.S. participated in this study. Four major themes were identified: perception of cultural climate, structural elements of mentorship, perceptions of mentorship experiences, and protective strategies to navigating academe. Implications for counselor education programs and future mentorship models along with recommendations for future research are provided.

The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore how counselors implement multicultural and social justice counseling competencies (MSJCC) when providing therapy to Black, Indigenous, and Womxn of Color. This study was informed by critical theory and intersectionality theory to capture the complex dynamics of identity and power through semi-structured interviewing, observations of archived counseling sessions, review of archived client case records, and administration of the Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills Survey–Counselor Edition–Revised (MAKSS-CE-R), and the Social Justice Scale (SJS). The six doctoral student co-researchers provided rich portrayals of their experiences implementing the MSJCC, the role of identity, and the impact of power relations. Data revealed one overarching theme (the omnipresence of cultural humility), five themes (learning is a process, it starts with me: the catalyst of self-awareness, this is my identity, understanding clients in context: attending to power and intersectionality, and social justice is awareness: advocacy is intentional and active), and eight corresponding subthemes. Co-researchers provided insight into their experiences of barriers, oppression, resilience, and advocacy. Implications and conclusions from this research provide recommendations for mental health counselors, education programs, and research.

In the U.S., an estimated 61 million people identify as having a disability, making up 26% of all adults. The occurrence of a disability for one person within a couple impacts the physical, social, psychological, and emotional state of the person who acquired a disability, forcing changes to quality of life. Interabled couples, defined as one partner having a physical disability and the other partner identifying as nondisabled, navigate various systems of care as they respond to the needs of the partner with the disability. Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) has shown benefits in reducing relationship stress and increasing security within couples. In this study, the researcher explored the experiences of 10 EFT therapists who served at least one interabled couple in couple therapy. Participants completed a semi-structured interview designed to explore how EFT therapists make sense of their lived experiences serving interabled couples. The researcher utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand how EFT therapists made meaning from their experiences serving interabled couples. Findings included four super-ordinate themes that emerged from the data including (a) ableism, (b) self-of-the-therapist, (c) relationship dynamics of interabled couples, and (d) the "fit" of EFT approach with interabled couples. The themes demonstrate a need to further explore disability-responsive practices within EFT in serving interabled couples.

The purpose of this participatory action research study was to explore queer womxn of color's experiences of microaggressions in therapy. Due to the multifaceted and complex experiences of queer womxn of color, this study was informed by intersectionality theory and utilized photovoice methodology to answer the following question: How do queer womxn of color experience microaggressions in therapy? The seven queer womxn of color who participated in this study provided vivid, honest, and courageous portrayals of their experience of microaggressions in therapy. Six major themes were prominent in their photographs and narratives: (a) collective and pervasive experiences of oppression, (b) therapy as a tool of oppression, (c) impact of oppression in therapy, (d) strategies for survival, (e) healing for queer womxn of color, and (f) the power of sharing mi historia. Overall, co-researchers provided insight into their experiences of oppression in therapy, while highlighting clinical and research practices that may be healing and liberatory for queer womxn of color. Additionally, implications and conclusions drawn from the experiences of co-researchers provide recommendations for mental health professionals, educational programs, and researchers to consider when working with queer womxn of color.

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This study was a description of horsemen's perceived psychological benefits and liabilities derived from leisure sport and exercise participation. The horsemen that participated in this study were active trainers or grooms who stabled their horses at a training center. Sixty-six horsemen completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: 2, Stress Profile, and this researcher's inventory of horsemen's activities entitled Samaha Horsemen's Activities Questionnaire (SHAQ). Seven horsemen were interviewed to obtain qualitative data. Two of the seven horsemen were omitted from the analysis due to no or limited responses to the questions. Quantitative data results revealed that leisure participation in exercise activities positively correlated with greater well-being, physical self concept, and total self concept scores. There was a statistically significant negative relationship between time devoted to participation in exercise and stress scores. The horsemen that participated in this study work in professional harness racing. An allowable and acceptable leisure activity is gambling. However, results indicated that there were statistically significant negative relationships between time spent gambling and physical self concept, well-being, and exercise and sport participation. Horsemen who were above the median on participation in sport and exercise had significantly higher physical self concept and well being scores than those who were below the median. The results indicate that participation in a variety of exercise and sports as well as time devoted to leisure physical activity had the strongest relationship with improved well-being. Analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed two major themes (limitations and perceived outcomes) and three subthemes within limitations (time, injury, and competitiveness) and perceived outcomes (socialization, physical, and psychological well-being) that described horsemen's participation in leisure sport and exercise. A central conflict emerged within horsemen's reluctance to become assertive in addressing their limitations. Horsemen viewed limitations in participation in sport and exercise as time, injury, and competitiveness. Those who participate in leisure sport and exercise were assertive in addressing their own limitations. The perceived outcomes were physical, socialization, and psychological benefits. Participants expressed that leisure sport and exercise provided possible benefits regardless of their involvement or adherence to an exercise program. / Kinesiology

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Collegiate athletes experienced all the general changes caused by universities' implementation of increased safety regulations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also were subjected to unique stressors that arose from the NCAA decision to cancel all remaining sport seasons. Psychosocial resources, such as social support, self-compassion, and resilience, may have impacted how intensely and extensively athletes coped with the stress of COVID-19. I used structural equation modeling to explore the relationship between the psychosocial resources of social support, self-compassion, and resilience in relation to male collegiate athletes' (N = 1,974) psychological distress (i.e., depression and general psychological stress) in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the more supported, self-compassionate, and resilient the athletes reported being, the less psychological distress they reported experiencing (resilience to psychological distress (β = -.12, p < .001), self-compassion to psychological distress (β = -.41, p < .001), and social support to psychological distress (β = -.08, p < .001)). Additionally, self-compassion and social support were related indirectly (and inversely) to psychological distress, to the extent that they contributed to the athletes perceiving themselves as more resilient (Self Compassion → Resilience → Psychological Distress: β = -.08, 90% CI [-.15, -.04]; Social Support → Resilience Psychological Distress: β = -.06, 90% CI [-.10, -.03]). The total effects, which included the direct and indirect effects, were significant for social support (β = -.14, 90% CI -.20, -.08]) and self-compassion (β = -.49, 90% CI [-.60, -.38]). The supported relationships have application beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and can guide how sports medicine professionals intervene with athletes and their general mental health concerns.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Rick J. Scheidt / Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic illness that has the capacity to impact several domains of a person's life. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore four particular domains of meaning of an AD diagnosis to gain a systemic understanding of couples' experiences when one spouse had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. A social constructionist framework was used in conjunction with the biopsychosocial-spiritual model, to explore the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors which inform and possibly influence couples' experiences in relation to an AD diagnosis. The interview guide was constructed using the underlying biopsychosocial-spiritual framework for the purpose of exploring couples' experiences in a systemic manner. Four couples were interviewed in their homes, no more than two months following a formal diagnosis of AD. This particular time frame captured the raw experience couples went through when receiving an AD diagnosis. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to a modified version of Moustakas' phenomenological method of analysis. A family medicine physician served as the co-interpreter throughout the entire analysis process. Results consisted of unique descriptions for each couple's case and a composite description of the cross-case analysis, highlighting similarities and differences among cases. The biopsychosocial-spiritual model was found to be a significant tool for elliciting a systemic understanding of each couple's experience, and recognizing unique aspects of couples' experiences. Analysis across cases revealed 14 common themes that emerged across the four (five biological, four psychological, four social and two spiritual) domains. Results revealed that of the 14 common emerging themes, five themes were shared by all cases: Recognizing a Problem, Experience of Diagnosis Process, Experience of Symptoms, Social Support, and Social Activities. The overall analysis illustrated many more similarities among biological experiences than any other domain of experience. One case, #3, displayed a particularly unique psychological experience, as well as a significant spiritual foundation. Overall, this study emphasized the importance of using a systemic framework, such as the biopsychosocial-spiritual model, to gain a rich, in-depth understanding of how different couples experience the diagnosis process of AD.