The intricacies of modern-day policing depend upon law enforcement departments broadening the training of officers. The specific problem was that a police officer may lack the necessary training to deal with the mentally ill population. The targeted sample of this study included four police officers, two training staff officers, and four trainees…

This qualitative study aimed to examine the lived experience of clinical mental health counselors working with adolescents. Participants included pre-licensed (associate) or licensed counselors who predominately work with and have a strong preference for working with adolescent clients. Data was collected through individual interviews and analyzed…

Existing literature on mental health utilization with Division I college athletes is very limited. Specifically, little research has been conducted regarding what may make an athlete more or less likely to seek mental health services. This qualitative study investigated 1.) The facilitators and barriers for mental health utilization among the…

The current study examined the relationship between trait hope, state hope, connectedness, trauma symptoms, and positive religious coping with psychological distress among undergraduate students while also assessing the moderating effect of trauma symptoms. Grounded in theoretical frameworks by Snyder et al. (1991), Hobfoll et al. (2007), and…

College students have been identified as highly vulnerable to diverse mental health disorders affecting academic performance and quality of life. There was an even greater prevalence of mental health problems in college students' during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the relationship among academic performance, depression,…

Youth spend an increasing amount of time at school and are experiencing greater mental health needs in the school setting. School professionals have the responsibility to respond and assist in managing the mental health needs of students. Illinois has implemented the Illinois Mental Health First Aid Training Act to provide psychoeducational…

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…

Through this dissertation, I seek to examine the sports retirement of Division II Black male student-athletes and how they negotiate their identity as they transition into sports retirement. Consistent with similar research on Black male student-athletes, this dissertation makes the argument that the racialization of many college campuses…

This dissertation addresses a significant gap in existing research by exploring lived experiences of cisgender female adolescents (Grades 7-12) diagnosed with emotional disturbance (ED) in the U.S. Current statistics indicate that 28% of students in special education with an ED diagnosis are girls; yet, their perspectives remain largely absent…

Higher levels of social anxiety predict greater incidence of alcohol-related consequences among college students, yet little is known about for whom social anxiety may pose the greatest risk of experiencing alcohol-related consequences and the significance and direction of association between social anxiety and alcohol use remain unclear. This…

Mental illness is an epidemic sweeping the nation and, more specifically, the world of education (Salerno, 2016). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2020b), approximately 4.4 million children 3-17 years old in the United States have been diagnosed with anxiety, and approximately 1.9 million diagnosed with depression.…

A problem facing current school counselors is the lack of a licensed professional counselor (LPC) to be readily available for students who need intervention. In order to justify the LPC, counselors must agree to the need of a LPC. Adolescent psychological issues are a concern for school counselors because they are not adequately trained to deal…

The principal purpose of the study was to understand the lived experiences of educators who taught during the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential effects of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers' mental health, well-being and risk of attrition. Considering that the pandemic is just a few years old, research on the implications for…

Higher education is experiencing a mental health epidemic (Venit, 2022). There is unprecedented student demand for psychological services that colleges are unable to meet (Lipson et al., 2019a), leading to high rates of mental illness-related attrition (Koch et al., 2018). Two groups of students at particularly high risk of mental illness-related…

As national headlines inform us of increasing school violence, adolescent suicide, and other mental health issues, there is an obvious need to offer support to adolescents in their schools. This study was spurred by the researcher's practice as a mental health clinician and school counselor working in a variety of public and private schools over…