<p>In counseling psychology, which counts social justice and multiculturalism issues among its central values, international students represent a sizeable student body. However, there has been concerns about whether the training programs and filed are providing adequate support and training experiences for international students. Considering unique nature of international students experience in counseling psychology and needs for individualized support, the researcher sought to explore international students’ mentoring experience, an effective form of guidance. To understand the complex nature of international students’ mentoring experience, Chat et al.’s (2015) multicultural, ecological, and relational model of mentoring was used as theoretical framework of the current study. Through CQR, the researcher pursued an in-depth understanding of international students’ mentoring experiences. The results of the current study provided valuable information of international students’ contextual factors in understanding mentoring experience, international students’ perception of their mentoring experiences, importance of quality mentoring relationship, impacts of mentorship, and examples of negative experiences in mentoring relationship. Finally, I provide implications for current and future mentors of international students, for international students in counseling psychology, and for training programs and the field of counseling psychology. </p>

This dissertation presents in the form of two distinct chapters conceptually related in nature. The first chapter integrates literature from various fields such as indigenous, womanist, and feminist lenses to propose nine principles when working with Muslim women. The purpose of the second chapter is to examine Muslim women’s experiences in therapy at university counseling centers. The study explores women’s experiences from a social determinants of health perspective and a narrative inquiry method—namely, how intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy factors inform women’s experiences. Qualitative analysis from interviews with six women suggests Muslim women navigate multiple systems which inform their beliefs about health and their experiences in therapy.