Highly sensitive students are in every classroom, but few educators know of their presence or the problems that they face in the learning environment. This group of children often struggle in silence as twice-exceptional individuals who have both significant gifts but also particular challenges to navigate a neurotypical school environment. Both…

When the teachers miss school, students miss out on new content, a structured environment, and more. Several studies have examined the relationship between teacher absenteeism and pupil achievement and found a strong connection. In fact, there appears to be a one-to-one relationship: a 10-day increase in teacher absence results in at least a…

The purpose of this research is to explore how Jewish students experience achieving a sense of belonging on campus. This research is important for understanding the experiences and factors that affect this group of students and might lead to suggestions for how Jews may achieve a healthy sense of belonging and avoid alienation, which might affect…

Occupational stress among university and college faculty has significantly increased over the past decade. Employee wellness programs aim to reduce work-related stress through a class of evidence-based activities known as Stress Management Interventions (SMIs). During the COVID-19 pandemic, new challenges in the daily work of academics have…

This dissertation investigated the lived experiences of non-binary counselors who face microaggressions within the counseling field. While existing research has explored microaggressions based on sexual orientation within counselor education programs, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding non-binary counselors specifically. This…

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) impacts professionals who assist others experiencing trauma. Assistant principals and principals help both students and staff members suffering crises yet remain an understudied population in relation to STS. This study sought to answer: what is the prevalence of STS in secondary campus administrators, and does the…

The growing prevalence of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) among mental health professionals (MHPs) has contributed to an ongoing mental health workforce shortage in the United States. Literature has shown strong evidence of workforce and organizational risk factors for STS, with inconsistent conclusions about the role of personal trauma. Previous…

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted almost all aspects of society including the United States School Systems. As we get further out from the onset of the pandemic and restrictions ease, we are beginning to see that there will be some lasting and irreversible implications in schools across the country. This research implies that teachers were…

The purpose of this study is to assess the mental health consequences of teaching trauma-exposed students in alternative settings. As school district administrators may provide general or common mental health services for teachers, special attention needs to be given and additional programs and supports provided for teachers who teach…

The demand for mental health counseling services has surged, but the capacity of college counseling centers to meet this demand has not kept pace. The effects of COVID-19 have exacerbated this already fragile system of care. College students are enrolling in college with increased levels of anxiety, depression, disordered eating, suicidal…

School-based mental health (SBMH) services are receiving robust attention as schools themselves are raising concerns about increased student mental health needs. Policy makers are subsequently questioning whether providers have the training and supervision necessary to navigate the unique needs of delivering mental health in a school setting.…

Student mental health has been a pervasive crisis in the United States long before the pandemic, with 1 in 5 people living with mental illness (CDC, 2024). In general, teacher education programs have failed to offer comprehensive curricula that meaningfully address students who live with mental illness. Moreover, programs that do offer a mental…

Black staff working at predominately white institutions (PWIs) of higher education experience systemic workplace racism undergirded by higher education's deep connections to and reproduction of White supremacy and antiblackness. This phenomenological qualitative research study entails a literature review with historical, conceptual, and empirical…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of four Black women frontline supervisors deemed essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlighted the effects COVID-19 had on Black women who were mandated to report to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This…

Teachers have faced unrelenting stress in recent years, especially since 2020. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the preeminence of racial injustice has resurfaced. In this context, teachers are processing acute societal-level stressors while simultaneously supporting their students in processing these events. Although emerging scholarship has…