Updated: 5/21/2026
The Impact of Master-Level Counseling Programs’ Trauma Education on Internship Students’ Perceived Readiness to Work with Trauma-Exposed Clients
For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Counselor Education
May 28, 2026 | 11 a.m.
The purpose of this study was to examine how different trauma education formats in CACREP-accredited master's counseling programs predict internship students' perceived readiness to work with trauma-exposed clients. Grounded in the New Haven Trauma Competency Model (Cook & Newman, 2014), the study evaluated whether completing a stand-alone trauma course and the degree of trauma content integration throughout the program predicted perceived readiness, measured by the Readiness to Work with Trauma-Exposed Patients Scale (RTEPS; Kazlauskas et al., 2023), while controlling for outside trauma training, clinical experience with trauma-exposed clients, and personal trauma history. Read more.
CENTERING BLACK WOMEN’S VOICES: A SISTER CIRCLE STUDYOF BARIATRIC PREOPERATIVE COUNSELING EXPERIENCES WITH EMPHASIS ON MENTAL NUTRITIONAL, AND PHYSICAL WELLNESS
For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Counselor Education and Supervision
May 27, 2026 | 1 p.m.
This qualitative study explored the bariatric preoperative counseling experiences of eight Black women who underwent bariatric surgery within the past one to five years and received preoperative counseling from a licensed professional counselor prior to surgery. With particular attention to mental, nutritional, and physical wellness, the study was guided by Interpretive Description methodology and informed by the Indivisible Self Model of Wellness and Black Feminist Thought. Data were collected through culturally responsive Sister Circles designed to center the lived experiences of Black women within the bariatric surgery preparation process. Read more.