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The purpose of this study was to investigate the directional relationship between fertility related quality of life, relationship satisfaction, resilience, depression, and shame amongst individuals and couples with infertility. This study tested the hypothesized directional relationship that individuals and couples with infertility (N = 556) with a greater level of fertility related quality of life (FertiQol) would have (a) increased relationship satisfaction (CSI), (b) increased resilience (CD-RISC), (c) decreased depression (PROMIS), and (d) decreased shame (FSCRS), through structural equation modeling (SEM) and the actor partner interdependence model (APIM). Also, the researcher tested the dyadic influence of fertility related quality of life in couples (n = 52) on the constructs. The researcher then investigated the relationship between the constructs and the demographic, relational, and infertility related variables. Lastly, the researcher assessed group differences between Caucasian and Racially Diverse participants to determine the influence of race on fertility related quality of life, relationship satisfaction, resilience, depression, and shame. SEM analyses identified that the level of fertility related quality of life influenced resilience (18.23% variance explained), depression (63.04% variance explained), and shame (22.27% variance explained). Further, the Relational aspect of fertility related quality of life influenced relationship satisfaction (59.75% variance explained), and gender significantly influenced resilience with a medium effect (beta = .309). Results of the APIM analysis identified two partner effects from the Relational aspect of fertility related quality of life to relationship satisfaction and shame. Lastly, the results identified significant differences in relationship satisfaction, shame, and value of spirituality between Caucasian and Racially Diverse participants. Study implications include: (a) greater knowledge for individual counseling, couples counseling, and integrated care counselors, (b) greater understanding of interventions to promote positive relationship satisfaction in couples, and (c) greater understanding of how to enhance counselor training when working with couples with infertility.

The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) calls for school counselors to provide comprehensive programming and services to serve all students (ASCA,2019). The purpose of the study was to examine school counselors' level of awareness, attitudes, and self-efficacy towards students identified as gifted and having a disability (twice exceptional) as viewed through the lens of The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991). The study explored differences between participants from accredited and nonaccredited programs in counselor education (CACREP vs non-CACREP). Data was collected from school counselors (N=127) who completed a Qualtrics survey utilizing four instruments Twice-Exceptional Needs Assessment Survey (Foley-Nicpon et al., 2013); The Survey of Practices with Students of Varying Needs (Tomlinson et al., 1995); The Students with Learning Disabilities School Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale (Boulden, 2020); and a demographic questionnaire. A MANCOVA examined group differences between CACREP and non-CACREP programs. When considering school counselors experience, results indicated differences between accreditation programs on school counselors' awareness, attitudes, and self-efficacy towards students identified as twice exceptional. The findings suggest participants from CACREP programs had higher levels of awareness, attitudes, and self-efficacy for working with student identified as twice exceptional. The findings help inform areas of future research and implications for counselor educators.

Exposure to childhood trauma can have a lasting impact on the mental and emotional health of an individual (Ford & Courtois, 2009). Research on help-seeking behaviors indicate that 15% to 40% of individuals who experience mental health problems, including trauma-related concerns, initially contact a member of the clergy for help rather than contacting a medical or mental health professional (Nieuwsma et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2003); therefore, research into the trauma-related attitudes and beliefs of clergy is warranted. The purpose of this study was to understand the personal and professional factors that predict the trauma-related attitudes and beliefs of Christian clergy in the State of Florida as a first step in applying a trauma-informed care model to churches and other religious communities. Participants (N = 235) completed an online survey that included measures of trauma-related attitudes and beliefs, trait emotional intelligence, personal trauma exposure, the completion of trauma-related training, and clergy job responsibilities (i.e., hours per week spent in counseling and pastoral care activities). Hierarchical multiple regression was utilized, and results showed that trauma-related training and trait emotional intelligence were statistically significant predictors of trauma-related attitudes and beliefs. Trauma exposure and clergy job responsibilities were not statistically significant predictors. In light of these findings, implications for mental health professionals, counselor educators, clergy training programs, and researchers are provided.

This study explores the experiences of suicidality (e.g., suicidal behavior risk and suicide ideation) of adults who were raised in military families in relation to their levels of potential protective factors of resilience, help-seeking attitudes, and perceptions of caregiver relationships. There is limited research exploring suicidality among individuals raised by military caregivers, with most of the literature focused on individuals in childhood and using national or statewide datasets. Prior to this investigation, only one study was identified that examined suicidality of adults of military families, with a focus on international military families rather than those associated with the U.S. military. This study sought to evaluate the experiences of suicidality as it relates to adults raised by parents or guardians affiliated with the U.S. military and to identify potential protective factors that can reduce suicidal outcomes. Using structural equation modeling, this study evaluated the experiences of suicidality of 439 adults who had at least one caregiver in the U.S. military in relation to their levels of resilience, help-seeking attitudes, and caregiver relationships. Findings of this study demonstrated that participants with increased indicators of suicidality (e.g., suicidal behavior risk and negative suicide ideation) demonstrated decreased help-seeking values and lowered perceptions of their relationships with both their military caregiver and second at-home caregiver. Further, secondary analyses identified that participants' demographic characteristics, such as their age and racial/ethnic identities, and their military-affiliation characteristics, especially participants' personal affiliation with the military or the military affiliation of their relationship partners significantly influenced each of the constructs of interest in the study. These findings provide critical insight to the experiences and mental health outcomes of individuals raised in military families and provides support for advocacy and mental health treatment efforts tailored to meet the needs of this unique population.

For decades, researchers and counselor educators have emphasized the importance of developing counselors prepared to serve a diverse society. However, there is still much debate around which factors contribute to the development of a culturally competent counselor. The influence of curiosity in the development of competence has been researched in the field of education, however, curiosity has not yet been studied in counseling as it relates to counselors' openness and competence in working with clients perceived as different from themselves. The author conducted a quantitative research study to examine the influence of curiosity and cultural humility in master's level counselors-in-training on their perceived multicultural counseling competence. It is expected that higher rates of curiosity and cultural humility will correlate with higher rates of perceived cultural competence in counselors-in-training. Pearson correlations and OLS multiple regressions were conducted to answer the four research questions in this study. Results demonstrated positive relationships between all variables, with curiosity as the largest predictor of multicultural counseling competence. It was also discovered that cultural humility does not moderate the relationship between curiosity and MCC in CITs. Implications of this study have the potential to impact the training and education of counseling students, professional counselors, counselor educators, and other helping and educational professionals working with diverse populations. Recommendations for future research are also discussed.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals, and those who otherwise identify as a minority in terms of affectional orientation and gender expression identity (LGBTQ+) have a higher rate of mental health concerns than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts (Meyer, 2003). Young adulthood is a difficult time for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ as internal identity development processes coincide with stressors from the outside world. The conflict between intrapersonal and interpersonal pressures may evoke a multitude of negative emotions such as anxiety, loneliness, isolation, fear, anger, resentment, shame, guilt, and fear. One difficult task that triggers these depreciating sentiments is the task of managing the process of coming out during LGBTQ+ young adulthood. The tumultuous, transformative coming out process prompts stressors that may cause the increase of mental health concerns for the LGBTQ+ population. Although counselors recognize the need and lack of counselor competency to assist LGBTQ+ individuals, there is limited (a) client-based outcome research and (b) intervention research to assert the efficacy of methods to assist LGBTQ+ young adults during the coming out process. Specifically, no studies were found that examined the efficacy of a group counseling intervention to assist LGBTQ+ young adults through the coming out process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a strengths-based coming out group counseling intervention on LGBTQ+ young adults’ (ages 18-24) levels of coping, appraisal of social support, and coming out growth. In an effort to contribute to the knowledgebase in the fields of counseling and counselor education, the researcher examined (a) if a strengths-based group counseling intervention influences LGBTQ+ young adults’ levels of coping (as measured by the Brief COPE [Carver, 1997]), social support (as measured by the Social Support Questionnaire-6 [Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce, 1987]), and coming out growth (as measured by the Coming Out Growth Scale [Vaughan & Waehler, 2010]) over time; (b) the potential relationship between the outcome variables and group therapeutic factors (Therapeutic Factors Inventory–Short Form [TFI-S]; Joyce et al., 2011); and (c) the potential relationship between the outcome variables and the participants’ demographic data (e.g., age, affectional orientation, level of outness). A one-group, pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was utilized in this study. Participants received an eight-hour group counseling intervention divided in to four two-hour sessions. The counseling groups were offered at the University of Central Florida’s Community Counseling and Research Center (CCRC). There were three data collection points: (a) prior to the first session, (b) after the second session, and (c) at the end of the last session. The final sample size included 26 LGBTQ+ participants. The research questions were examined using: (a) Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance (RM-MANOVA), (b) MANOVA, (c) Canonical correlation, (d) Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), (e) Pearson Product Moment Correlations, and (f) Cronbach’s alpha reliability analysis. The RM-MANOVA results identified a multivariate within-subjects effect across time (Wilks’ λ = .15; F (12, 14) = 6.77, p < .001) and 84% of the variance was accounted for by this effect. Analysis of univariate tests indicated that Social Support Number (F [1.63, 68.18] = 13.94, p < .01; partial ƞ² = .25), Social Support Satisfaction (F [2, 50] = 10.35, p < .001; partial ƞ² = .29), Individualistic Growth (F [2, 50] = 8.22, p < .01; partial ƞ² = .25), and Collectivistic Growth (F [2, 50] = 9.85, p < .001; partial ƞ² = .28) exhibited change over time. Additionally, relationships were identified between the outcome variables of Individualistic Growth, Adaptive Coping, and Collectivistic Growth and the group therapeutic factors of Secure Emotional Expression, Awareness of Relational Impact, and Social Learning. Furthermore, age of questioning was positively correlated with Collectivistic Growth. 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 are presented. Implications of the study’s findings include: (a) support for the use of a strengths-based group counseling intervention in order to increase social support and coming out growth in LGBTQ+ young adults, (b) empirical evidence of a counseling strategy promoting positive therapeutic outcomes with LGBTQ+ college age clients, and (c) verification of the importance of group therapeutic factors in effective group counseling interventions.

Much of the extant literature on intimate partner violence (IPV) centers on immediate needs and crisis interventions for victims and survivors, and limited emphasis is placed on the long-term recovery process. Researchers have identified post-IPV romantic relationships as a topic in need of further investigation, but to date, little to no research has focused on romantic relationships post-IPV. The present investigation provides a thorough literature review on the topic of recovery from IPV, introduces a phenomenological investigation of survivors' experiences of considering or navigating new relationships during recovery from intimate partner violence, and discusses findings and implications for counselors and counselor educators. Research questions and sub-questions included, (1) What are the lived experiences of female survivors of IPV who are considering or navigating new intimate relationships, and (1a) What are the helping and hindering experiences of considering or navigating new intimate relationships? A phenomenological research methodology was utilized to answer the research questions. Interviews with 10 participants were the primary data collection source. Data analysis procedures followed recommendations by Moustakas (1994) and Colaizzi (1978). Research findings suggest that survivors engage in internal and psychological experiences as well as social and interpersonal experiences as they consider or navigate new relationships post-IPV. Internal and psychological experiences consisted of the following themes: (a) Reclaiming self through dating experiences, (b) Learning to trust self, (c) Difficulty trusting new partners, and (d) Facing other fears of dating. Interpersonal and social experiences consisted of (a) Exploring dating with new partners, (b) Sexual exploration as part of navigating new partners (c) Negotiating boundaries and use of control with new partners, (d) Communication and support of new partner, (e) Modeling of healthy relationships by others, and (f) Caring for and protecting children.

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the directional relationship between emerging adults' intensity of online dating and their levels of empathy, objectification of others, and quality of romantic relationships. This investigation tested the theoretical model that emerging adults' (N = 1,613) intensity of online dating (as measured by the Online Dating Intensity Scale [ODI]) contributed to their levels of empathy (as measured by the Adolescent Measure of Empathy and Sympathy [AMES]; Vossen, Piotrowski, & Valkenburg, 2015), objectification of others (as measured by the Sexual-Other Objectification Scale [SOOS]), and quality of relationships with romantic partners (as measured by the Relationships Structure Questionnaire [ECR-RS; Fraley, Heffernan, Vicary, & Brumbaugh, 2011] and Relationship Assessment Scale [RAS; Hendrick, 1988]). Specifically, the researcher tested the hypothesized directional relationship that emerging adults with greater intensity of using online dating services (e.g., websites and applications) would have (a) decreased levels of empathy, (b) increased levels of objectification of others, and (c) decreased quality of relationships with romantic partners. In addition, the researcher investigated the relationship between emerging adults' demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, etc.) and the intensity of their use of online dating services, levels of empathy, objectification of others, and relationship quality with romantic partners. The researcher conducted a thorough review of the literature regarding the constructs of interest in this investigation, providing conceptual evidence and empirical support for the research hypotheses and exploratory research questions. A convenience sample of emerging adult undergraduate or master's level students enrolled in various colleges and universities throughout the United States were invited to participate in this study. The researcher collected data through web-based survey and face-to-face administration. The researcher employed structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses to test the research hypothesis. In order to utilize SEM, the researcher also conducted confirmatory factor analyses and exploratory factor analyses to evaluate the validity and reliability of the assessment data used in the investigation. Additionally, the researcher conducted multiple linear regression, Pearson Product-Moment correlations, Spearman Rank Order correlations, and analysis of variance to analyze the data for the exploratory questions. The results of the structural equation model (SEM) analyses identified that emerging adults' intensity of online dating contributed to their levels of empathy (5.3% of the variance explained) and objectification of others (9% of the variance explained). Furthermore, the results of the analyses indicated a dynamic relationship between emerging adults' levels of empathy and objectification of others. Specifically, emerging adults' level of empathy shared a strong negative relationship with their level of objectification of others (98% of the variance explained). In contrast, emerging adults' level of objectification of others positively related to empathy (59.3% of the variance explained). Lastly, emerging adults' levels of empathy and objectification of others contributed to emerging adults' quality of romantic relationships (64% of the variance explained; 37% of the variance explained respectfully). The researcher compared the findings from the current investigation to previous research and assessed the limitations of this study. The findings from the study have implications for future research, clinical practice, counselor education, and instrument development. Specifically, findings from this investigation provide support for (a) increased clinical awareness of emerging adults' widespread use of online dating services; (b) the incorporation of social communication technology and online dating subjects into CACREP accredited counseling courses; and (c) and insight into the instrument development of the ODI, AMES, and SOOS.

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the directional relationship between adults' attachment styles and perceived impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with their experience of posttraumatic growth. This investigation tested the theoretical model that adults' (N = 292) attachment styles as measured by the Experiences in Close Relationships-Short Form ([ECR-S] Wei et al., 2007) and impact of childhood sexual abuse as measured by the Impact of Event Scale-revised ([IES-R] Weiss & Marmar, 1997) contributed to their experience of posttraumatic growth as measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory ([PTGI] Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). Specifically, this investigation tested the hypothesized directional relationship that adult survivors of CSA scoring in the insecure attachment range (i.e., avoidant or anxious) with higher levels of trauma would have lower levels of posttraumatic growth. In addition, this investigation examined the differences in relationship between adults' attachment styles, perceived impact of CSA, and posttraumatic growth based on their reported demographic information (e.g., age, race, and gender). The results of the structural equation model (SEM) analyses identified that trauma experienced by adult survivors of CSA contributed to 39% of the variance in the attachment style (p < .000; standardized coefficient = .63), and the mediating effect of attachment style contributed to 8% of the variance in the presence of PTG (p < .05; standardized coefficient -.31), while trauma showed to have no significant influence on the presence of PTG in this sample (p = .756). Implications of the findings from the study include insight (a) for counselors to better understand the experiences of adult survivors of CSA and areas to address in treatment; (b) for counselor educators to better prepare future counselors to work with adult survivors of CSA; and (c) insight into the instrument development of the ECR-S, IES-R, and PTGI.