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The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Project P.A.T.H., a job search psychoeducation intervention, on unemployed individuals' levels of job search knowledge, job search self-efficacy, employment hope, and group therapeutic factors. To contribute to the knowledgebase in the counseling and counselor education fields, the researcher examined (a) if Project P.A.T.H. influences job search knowledge, job search self-efficacy, and employment hope over time; (b) the potential relationship between outcome variables and participant demographics; and (c) the potential relationship between the outcome variables and the group therapeutic factors. A multi-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was utilized in this study. Participants received a nine-hour group psychoeducation intervention among various formats including (a) one-day in person, (b) two-day in-person, and (c) two-day virtually. The counseling groups were offered at Christian Help Foundation Inc. affiliated locations. There were three data collection points: (a) prior to the start of the intervention, (b) after the intervention, and (c) 30-days follow-up. The final sample size was 30 unemployed individuals. The research questions were examined using: (a) Dependent t-test (b) Multiple Regression, (c) Pearson Product Moment Correlations, and (d) Cronbach's alpha reliability analysis. In addition to a literature review, the research methods and statistical results are provided. Results of the investigation are reviewed and compared to previous research findings. Further, areas for future research, limitations of the study, and implications for the counseling and counselor education fields are presented. Implications of the study's findings include: (a) competencies for improving job search programs, (b), training techniques for counselors-in-training, and (c) the need for further research and advocacy within mental health and career counseling fields.

The purpose of this study was to determine the mental health services being provided to students in the state of Florida, specifically the identification of mental health concerns among students, prevention strategies, and interventions utilized. This study consisted of a document analysis of the Mental Health Assistance Allocation Plans submitted to, and posted by, the Florida Department of Education, for the purpose of developing a grounded theory to standardize the recommended practices in serving the mental health needs of students. Standardized recommended practices that emerged from the analysis included (a)universal screening to identify students demonstrating or developing mental health concerns, (b) establishing consistency within the school/school district and a positive school culture, (c) training faculty, staff, and students regarding mental health concerns and how to support/connect with resources connecting with the community to coordinate care, (d) involving families and parents and collaborate with outside or community mental health agencies; (e) keeping ratios between students and mental health professionals as low as possible in order to maximize direct contact between students and their mental health providers, and (f) information sharing between school districts and community or outside mental health partners and providers, while protecting student information.

Children with ASD benefit from interventions that are interactive and focus on developing social skills, and the parent-child relationship plays a vital part in the development of empathy and social skills. The Empathy Reading Project: Supporting Parents And Their Children Living With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) explored whether parent-led bibliotherapy with therapeutic support from the researcher helped children ages three to five living with ASD improve cognitive empathy and social-emotional development and their parents gain parental acceptance. All participants were parent and child dyads (N=4), and all child participants were male. The Empathy Reading Project was a multiple baseline (A-B-A-B), pre and posttest, single case research design study; parents met weekly with the researcher who provided bibliotherapy to their children for two, three-week interventions. The researcher provided bibliotherapy book selections and questions and reviewed the materials with parents before they began the intervention phase(s). The researcher and parents co-created individualized daily child measures to assess whether behaviors the parents identified as being important to them could be addressed through the bibliotherapy intervention and specialized time between the parent and child. Each child participant had at least one area of significant improvement from their individualized daily child measure. One child had significant changes in all three of his individualized questions and the other three children had mixed results. For the mothers who participated in the study, there was a moderate effect size for increased parental acceptance. The Empathy Reading Project provided initial evidence that a parent-led, therapist-supported, intervention can help children living with ASD to improve their empathic, prosocial behaviors and decrease off-task behavior. Parents and children that can benefit from this intervention are willing to engage in daily bibliotherapy; the parents are willing to try new communication strategies with their child and engage in therapeutic support.

With the implementation of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act (SB-7026) and the introduction of the Trauma Informed Schools Act of 2019 (H.R. 4146), the need for well-prepared behavior specialists is critical as well as, difficult in inclusive public school settings. Improving structures within the trauma-informed schools model that address challenges that individuals in these roles face will require a better understanding of the ideal day-to-day roles and responsibilities that behavior specialist have. Specifically, their roles need to be understood by school-based administrators who will support them. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore how five female behavior specialists, who work with students that identify with emotional/behavioral disabilities (E/BD) in inclusive trauma informed middle school settings, defined, and experienced their roles. This dissertation sheds light on the actual contextual factors at the middle school level that shape their work regarding how they spend their time. Participant selection was done with purposeful, criterion sampling. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and field observations. Findings consisted of behavior specialists identifying their primary roles as promoting students' behavioral growth as well as, supporting teachers in the academic environment. They also described experiencing dissonance between their ideal roles and their actual daily work. Emergent responsibilities unrelated to their roles accounted for a substantial amount of effort and time. Behavior specialist also experience challenges such as a lack of collaboration with general education teachers and being assigned extra-unrelated responsibilities, resulting in participants experiencing isolation and a feeling of not being valued. Implications for improving the overall quality of special educator's workforce are noted.

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