No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the lived experience of nine African-American men and women who spent a significant amount of their childhood and adolescent years in the foster care system and the effects on their adult development. Participants were recruited for semi-structured interviews using purposeful and snowball sampling. Participants included nine African-American men and women ages 25 to 55 (mean = 43.3) identified as being raised for a minimum of five years in foster care with no less than three changes in foster care placement, they were legally and gainfully employed in a chosen field with evidence of progressive responsibility for a minimum of three years. They graduated from the foster care system at age 18 or 21 without being adopted and were reported to be in good physical and mental health. Participant interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. The resultant data corpus included transcriptions of the audio taped interviews, demographic and supplemental question forms and documents authorized for use by participants such as interviews and autobiographies. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze the data corpus. The analysis resulted in eleven sub-ordinate themes that were organized under four super-ordinate themes that served to explain the lived experience of being raised in long-term foster care. The four super-ordinate themes were: Feeling thrown away while needing to belong; Participant's perceptions of memorable relationships while in care; Navigating the pathways to resilience; and Finding meaning through reconciling the past and creating a future. Study results were discussed in terms of a life-span exploration of the participants' lived experiences that included their time before placement, during placement and at emancipation/after placement. The substantive findings of this study showed that the overarching themes centered on how the participants navigated the multiple and complex relationships they were exposed to and what they learned about themselves and internalized based on the messages they received in those relationships. Of additional significance was the development of coping strategies to manage those feelings and beliefs that ultimately contributed to their resilience and survival. / Counseling Psychology

Counselor educators are responsible for training counselors-in-training (CITs), equipping them with knowledge and skills to best serve racially diverse clients (CACREP, 2015). CITs may demonstrate multicultural competence by broaching race, or inviting clients to consider the extent to which race contributes to one's presenting problem (Day-Vines et al., 2017). Practicum and Internship experiences offer counselor educators the opportunity to prepare CITs to broach race through group supervision. Thus, this interpretative phenomenological analysis aimed to explore experiences of Black counselor educators in CACREP-accredited counseling programs, as their voices have historically been overlooked in scholarship (Haskins and Singh, 2015). Five GETs were revealed including: (a) Degree of Multiculturalism in Counseling Program, (b) Regular Conversations of Race, (c) Defining Broaching, (d) Centering Clients' Culture, and (e) Feeling Tension with Students as well as three divergent experiences. Overall, these findings highlight the ways in which Black counselor educators navigate the task of supporting CITs with the broaching intervention. This study illuminates what counselor education programs, counselor educators, and CACREP can do to improve what is currently being done about broaching preparation in counselor education. / Doctor of Philosophy / Counselor educators are responsible for training counselors-in-training (CITs), equipping them with knowledge and skills to best serve racially diverse clients (CACREP, 2015). CITs may demonstrate multicultural competence by broaching race, or inviting clients to consider the extent to which race contributes to one's presenting problem (Day-Vines et al., 2017). Practicum and Internship experiences offer counselor educators the opportunity to prepare CITs to broach race through group supervision. Thus, this qualitative study aimed to explore experiences of Black counselor educators in CACREP-accredited counseling programs, as their voices have historically been overlooked in scholarship (Haskins and Singh, 2015). Five GETs were revealed including: (a) Degree of Multiculturalism in Counseling Program, (b) Regular Conversations of Race, (c) Defining Broaching, (d) Centering Clients' Culture, and (e) Feeling Tension with Students as well as three divergent experiences. Overall, these findings highlight the ways in which Black counselor educators navigate the task of supporting CITs with the broaching intervention. This study illuminates what counselor education programs, counselor educators, and the accrediting body for counselor education programs can do to improve what is currently being done about broaching preparation in counselor education.

Refugee families who flee their homes as a result of conflict or persecution and face stressful migration experiences often struggle with trauma that may put them at increased risk for family discord and dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to use an interpretative phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of 8 refugee mothers resettled in the United States, in particular their experiences pre-, during, and post-migration, and to further examine the impact that these experiences had on their relationships to their children and families. The study also examined mothers' experiences with different forms of support systems post-resettlement. Participants were recruited through a resettlement agency in Roanoke, Virginia. This study illuminated a number of key findings to further inform research, theory, and practice with this population. Refugee mothers reported stressful and traumatic experiences across their migration, describing harsh living conditions, prolonged stays in refugee camps, and loss of children and other family members as some of the most stressful experiences. Once resettled, mothers spoke of continued challenges, including language barriers and inconsistent or arbitrary support from formal social support services. Findings also suggest resiliency among this sample of refugee families, with mothers highlighting strong relationships with their children during and post-migration. The current study further informs the family stress literature and contributes a strength-based framework to understanding challenges faced by refugee families across the migration period. / Doctor of Philosophy / Refugee families who flee their homes as a result of conflict or persecution and face stressful migration experiences often struggle with trauma that may put them at increased risk for family dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of 8 refugee mothers resettled in the United States, in particular their experiences pre-, during, and post-migration, and to further examine the impact that these experiences had on their relationships with their children and families. The study also examined mothers’ experiences with different forms of support after resettlement. Participants were recruited through a resettlement agency in Roanoke, Virginia. This study highlighted a number of key findings to further inform research, theory, and practice with this population. Refugee mothers reported stressful and traumatic experiences across their migration, describing harsh living conditions, prolonged stays in refugee camps, and loss of children and other family members as some of the most stressful experiences. Once resettled, mothers spoke of continued challenges, including language barriers and inconsistent support from social services. Findings also showed mothers’ resiliency, with mothers highlighting strong relationships with their children during and post-migration. The current study further informs the family stress literature and contributes a strength-based framework to understanding challenges faced by refugee families across the migration period.