The Old Dominion 91短视频 Community is invited to the dissertation defense of
Catalina Kraft, MA, NCC
Ph.D. Candidate in Education (Counseling)
March 24th, 2026
9-10:30am
Zoom Link:
Project Title
The lived experiences of master鈥檚 level counselors in professional counseling association leadership
ABSTRACT
Leadership and advocacy are essential for all counselors (Lewis, 2022; McKibben, 2016; Paradise et al., 2010; Sweeney, 2022). However, within research and professional counseling associations, there appears to be a bias in which counselor educators are the expected, default leaders within the counseling profession (Burns, 2015; Kleist, 2018; Speciale & Goodrich, 2020). While counselor educators may have experience as counselors, they primarily work in academia, so their experiences do not authentically represent the needs of professional counselors. Counseling leaders need to represent and understand the people they serve: counselors. Therefore, this study sought to understand the lived experiences of master鈥檚 level counselors in professional counseling association leadership through a phenomenological approach. Eleven participants completed semi-structured interviews. Results from this study indicated eight main themes: professional counselor leadership identity, prior experience, motivations, responsibilities, challenges, benefits, support, and advice. Results from this study can provide insight into developing master鈥檚 level leadership training, increasing accessibility of leadership in professional counseling associations, and bridging the gap between counselor educators and counseling practitioners in counseling leadership.
Committee members:
Jeff Moe, Ph.D., Counseling and Human Services (Committee Chair and Methodologist)
Judith Wambui Preston, Ph.D., Counseling and Human Services (Member)
Steven Myran, Ph.D., Educational Leadership and Workforce Development (Member)
*A copy of the dissertation can be obtained by contacting Jeff Moe at jmoe@odu.edu.