Date of Award

2022

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Awarded

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program

Counselor Education and Supervision

Department

Education

College

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Faculty Advisor

Nelson, Jill

Description

Counselor development is a career long process yet there is limited research focused on professional counselor development over a full career span. This study aimed to address the gap in the literature and explored the longevity experiences of counselors within the senior phase of professional development. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore mental health counselors' experiences with professional longevity. The primary research question guiding the study was: How do senior counselors experience their professional longevity? Purposeful and snowball sampling helped select five mental health counselors for participation in the study. Data were gathered through one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Participants shared the wisdom they have gained through experience and findings provided insight into understanding what influences longevity in the counseling profession. Four themes emerged from the data: (1) meaningful work, (2) commitment to learning with subthemes of choosing learning experiences intentionally and consultation and supervision, (3) boundaries maintain balance with a subtheme of self-care as burnout prevention, and (4) authentic presence. Results and recommendations for how to best prepare and support counselors throughout the career span are discussed.

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/33367

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