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Article Excerpt
This qualitative study explored 4 counselor education doctoral students' 1st-semester experience. Data analysis revealed students experienced vicissitudes of thought and emotion that varied from self-doubt to beliefs in their abilities, received information and made decisions about how to engage in their responsibilities, and felt affirmation of their capabilities and qualifications. With this affirmation, students were able to make decisions about further experiences they would have during their program. As the semester progressed, the students experienced greater feelings of confirmation yet returned to vicissitude when faced with new situations.
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Research has found the doctoral degree in counselor education to be vital and unrivaled, producing well-trained students who provide a variety of services in the human relations field (Lanning, 1990; Vacc, 1990; Wittmer & Loesch, 1990). It is surprising, however, to note that even with evidence that over a 9-year period demand exceeded supply for counselor educators (Maples & Macari, 1998), a dearth of literature exists regarding doctoral students in counselor education programs (Boes, Ullery, Millner, & Cobia, 1999; Bruce, 1995). Despite the doctoral students' importance to the field of counseling, counselor education has placed little emphasis on studying their experience.
Research studies have shown the impact that a doctoral degree program has on its students. For example, Valdez (1982) found that beginning doctoral study was viewed as a major life event that could cause a considerable amount of stress. Golde (1998) explored reasons for student attrition and claimed that doctoral students "battle internal demons and external obstacles" (p. 55) in starting a program. Dongen's (1988) participants claimed that starting doctoral study had a significant impact on their lives, stating they consistently dealt with feelings of uncertainty, stress-producing anxiety, an overwhelming number of responsibilities, feelings of vulnerability, and loss of self-esteem. In contrast, participants also stated that they learned to use coping skills such as relying on friends and family, exercising, eating in a healthy way, getting rest, and using humor. They believed the experience would have a positive outcome, and they were highly committed to completing their doctoral program (Dongen, 1988).
One conceptual article (Boes et al., 1999) concerning counselor education noted that "Students are expected to manage the academic and personal pressures inherent in a doctoral program.... Students may need counseling for personal issues and stresses.... Healthy eating habits, adequate rest, and regular exercise are imperative to combating burnout" (pp. 136-137). If the aforementioned literature accurately highlights the impact that a doctoral degree program has on its participants, then understanding the experience of counselor education doctoral students seems vital.
If counselor education doctoral students face academic and personal pressures, stress, isolation, and burnout and if they are uniquely educated and highly qualified (Altekruse, 1991; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP], 1994; Kolbert, Brendel, & Gressard, 1997; Lanning, 1990; Rogers, Gill-Wigal, Harrigan, & Abbey-Hines, 1998; Schmidt, 1999; Vacc, 1990; Wittmer & Loesch, 1990), then research about the counselor education doctoral student is warranted. As Lanning has noted, "Wee will always be driven by the master's level education we provide, but that can only continue if we prepare quality doctoral level graduates" (p. 168). This is necessary because the doctoral students who graduate from such programs with counselor education doctoral degrees will continue to advance the counseling profession on both the master's and the doctoral level (Engels & Muro, 1986).
The research and literature that address the counselor education doctoral student offer a cursory view of the degree program experience. Existing research has studied the supervision practicum, doctoral-level supervision, and doctoral-mentoring relationships (Baker, Exum, & Tyler, 2002; Borders, Rainey, Crutchfield, & Martin, 1996; Bruce, 1995). These studies add to the thin body of literature on doctoral student experience in counselor education programs; however, the researchers studied narrow and specific constructs. To date, no research has been found that richly describes the initial doctoral student experience in counselor education programs.
The purpose of this research was to expand the understanding of counselor education doctoral student experience via qualitative study and to develop an initial grounded theory of that experience. Because doctoral education potentially has a significant impact on students and those students are vital to the counseling profession, illuminating their experience during their doctoral degree programs is significant and useful to counselor educators, counselors, and the counseling profession.
Method and Procedure
Qualitative inquiry is research designed to explore, understand, and describe the experiences of the participants under investigation in their own words (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Grounded theory methodology was...
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