First Advisor

Murdock, Jennifer L.

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

5-2018

Abstract

This research study examines the experiences of counselors in training and how they engage with their supervisors through an attachment lens throughout their first practicum course. These experiences are shared through a narrative methodology. Six participants completed the study and shared their experiences through two semi-structured interviews and a photo elicitation journal writing project. The participants were located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. The data was analyzed through the use of open and axial coding and the constant comparative method to create narrative categories. Two member checks were conducted with the participants of the study and an auditor was utilized to increase trustworthiness and reduce researcher bias. Eight narrative categories emerged from the data and were shared with the use of a poem that represented a grand narrative which highlighted common experiences across participants. The narrative categories included: Personal History, Internal Working Models, Transition into Practicum, Experience of Threat, Attachment Strategies, Perceptions of Supervisor’s Response, Deactivation of the Attachment Behavioral System, and Relational Transformation. Implications for Counselor Education include utilizing the emergent narrative categories to shape counseling curriculum and the manner in which supervisors approach their supervisees to meet their attachment needs and influence their professional identity development.

Extent

375 pages

Local Identifiers

LUCAS_unco_0161D_10658

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

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