First Advisor

Murdock Bishop, Jennifer L.

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

8-2020

Department

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

Embargo Date

3-1-2021

Abstract

Tis, Matthew S. The Experience of Affectional and Gender Minority Students at CACREP Accredited Counseling Programs Housed within Conservative Christian Institutions: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore the lived experiences of affectional and gender minority students who currently attend or previously attended CACREP accredited counseling programs housed within Conservative Christian Institutions (CCIs), and the sense they make of those experiences. Eight themes emerged from individual interviews conducted with five participants, with most themes existing across all participant accounts. Participants described discriminatory environments in their master’s programs, the damaging effects of those experiences, and the safe spaces and relationships that mitigated that damage. They also discussed the ways in which those experiences impacted their spiritual development and stunted their development with respect to counselor identity and affectional and gender identity. The results of this research highlight the opportunity and responsibility that CCIs have to both protect these vulnerable student populations and provide models for them. The study also underscores the need for the counseling field to align the expectations of practitioners with the expectations placed upon training programs regarding the treatment of individuals who identify as affectional and gender minorities.

Extent

290 pages

Local Identifiers

Tis_unco_0161D_10865.pdf

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

Download

Share

COinS