First Advisor

Helm, Heather M.

First Committee Member

Murdock-Bishop, Jennifer

Second Committee Member

Myers, Kristin

Third Committee Member

Paek, Sue Hyeon

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

8-2025

Department

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Applied Psychology and Counselor Education, APCE Student Work

Abstract

This dissertation presents the findings from an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study on how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender expansive, and queer+ (LGBTGEQ+) clients experience discussing consensual nonmonogamy (CNM) in therapy. This study explored how five individuals made meaning of their experiences discussing CNM with current or prior therapists. The meaning they made of these experiences were situated in the context of social and cultural factors that influenced their discussions of CNM in therapy.

There were three research questions for this study including one primary question and two guiding sub-questions. The primary question was: what are the experiences of LGBTGEQ+ clients discussing CNM in therapy? The sub-questions were: how do clients experience their therapist’s behaviors related to the discussion of CNM, and what are client experiences of themselves, progress in therapy, the therapeutic alliance, perception of therapy, and social and cultural forces related to discussing CNM in therapy? These questions provided insight into the purpose of the study. The primary purpose of this study was to explore, understand and make meaning of the experiences of LGBTGEQ+ individuals discussing CNM in therapy. Specifically, this study was created to hear directly from these participants, what their experiences were, and how those experiences relate to their sense of self, their relationship with their therapist, progress of therapy, perceptions of therapy, and social and cultural forces.

To gather their narratives and stories, each participant engaged in two 45–60-minute interviews with the second interview including a member-checking process. The final analysis resulted in six group experiential themes (GETs) including: (1) The Client; (2) The Therapist and Therapeutic Relationship; (3) The Therapeutic Process and Experiences; (4) Disclosures in Therapy; (5) The Pursuit of Therapy; (6) Social Factors and Relationships. Each GET had various subthemes that highlighted the convergent and divergent experiences of the participants, thus including all their voices and narrative, not just those they shared. Many of their experiences and the meaning they made of those, echoed findings in the literature related to CNM, the therapeutic alliance and relationship, therapeutic factors, and social forces of stigma and oppression.

Finding from this study has implications within the field of counseling and counselor education as their narratives provided rich and thick descriptions. Counselor, counselor supervisors, and counselor educators share goals of providing the most effective and beneficial care to support human growth, mental health, and wellness. The participants’ voices and findings from this study provide insight into the experiences of CNM individuals or relationships and how the counseling profession can train and develop counselors who are educated and affirming in their work with this population and topic. This study serves as one form of enacting social justice and advocacy for diverse relationship structures.

Abstract Format

html

Places

Greeley, Colorado

Extent

278 pages

Local Identifiers

EngleNewman_unco_0161D_11378.pdf

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

Digital Origin

Born digital

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