This poster presents the development and preliminary validation of a 4MAT-based diagnostic system for adult career transitions. The framework integrates pre-diagnostic profiling (transition typology and learning readiness) with stage-based performance indicators and process metrics. Pilot data (N=80–120) provide initial reliability and construct validity evidence. Attendees will gain a structured and replicable assessment approach for formative career counseling practice.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free, 24/7 crisis support for individuals at risk of suicide; however, little is known about college students' help-seeking intentions and behavior related to the service. We therefore sought to examine reported levels of knowledge, use, and intentions to use the Lifeline among college students at elevated risk of suicide. Findings inform counseling practice and suggest outreach and intervention strategies to increase engagement of the Lifeline.
An explanatory mixed method explores the relationships among unethical supervision, supervisory rupture, and repair in supervisory relationships. In a quantitative study, supervisees identify the types of unethical supervision and assess them using new and existing relevant scales. Among the quantitative research participants, the supervisees who experienced supervisory rupture and its ensuing repair due to unethical supervision provide a lived experience in the following qualitative study.
Why do clients with depression sometimes choose treatments that do not work while avoiding others that might help? This session examines what existing research reports about how adults with mild to moderate depression perceive effort, immediacy of symptom relief, and long-term commitment across diverse treatment options. Attendees will takeaway key themes, understand how these perceptions shape preferences, and apply empirical evidence to clinical strategies for collaborative treatment planning.
Outcome evaluation in child-centered play therapy (CCPT) presents unique challenges due to the developmental, relational, and often nonverbal nature of children’s expression. Although CCPT is supported by a growing body of research, clinicians and counseling educators frequently lack clear, structured approaches to measuring progress in ways that are developmentally appropriate. This conceptual presentation introduces a practical framework for evaluating outcomes in CCPT across clinical settings
This poster presents the development and validation of a contemporary Parent-Child Relationship Scale for parents of children ages 4–17. Using expert review, factor analysis, item response theory, and validity testing, the authors will present a brief, psychometrically sound tool. Attendees will learn how the scale was built, what constructs it measures, the item composition, and how it can support research and counseling practice.
Traditionally, research regarding the experiences of families who use in-vitro fertilization (IVF) focus on the childbearing perspective highlighting the stress and uncertainty that comes with wanting to become a mother and/or parent (Clifton et al., 2020; Ye et al., 2025). There are minimal studies focusing on the mental strain men and partners endure with the fertility process (Ye et al., 2025). Therefore, this study explores the lived experiences of the non-childbearing partner.
The therapeutic alliance has a well-documented relationship to client success in counseling. Understanding and assessing this alliance can offer important insight into client experiences and provide valuable training feedback for CITs. This presentation explores relationships between therapeutic alliance and client distress outcomes in a university training clinic, considers implications for counselor training and identifies future research directions for training clinics and CIT development.
This mixed-methods study examines how societal gender roles and objectification influence body image and eating disorder symptoms in young adult immigrants. Using surveys and open-ended questions, it explores cultural values, acculturation, and protective factors such as cultural identity, community support, and resilience. Findings are framed by acculturation theory, objectification theory, and intersectionality theory and aim to inform culturally responsive interventions.
Suicide deaths are rising among men of color, who face unique barriers to accessing life-saving crisis services. In this consensual qualitative research study, we examined factors influencing crisis line use among 20 undergraduate men of color. Themes focused on perceived barriers to, facilitators of, and potential experiences with crisis lines. Implications will address advocacy efforts to destigmatize help-seeking, support crisis services, and improve culturally responsive training.
This study explores the barriers Black men face and the disparities in mental health access due to stigma, mistrust, trauma, and limited awareness (Bauer et al., 2022; Cloud, 2024; Cofield, 2025; Craddock et al., 2021). This integrative review examines sociocultural barriers and gaps in assessment practices. Attendees will gain evidence-based strategies to improve culturally responsive assessment, outreach, and engagement with Black men.
This constructivist grounded theory study examined how 11 supervisors navigate supervision with counselors holding multiple minoritized identities. Findings revealed a core category, Creating Conditions for Becoming, four universal processes, and three variations by social location. Attendees will learn supervisor practices that reduce supervisee burden and support professional development.
This poster presents a comparative study examining the diagnostic accuracy of licensed mental health therapists and AI chatbots using standardized, fictional clinical case scenarios. Expert consensus diagnoses served as the reference standard. Findings highlight strengths and limitations of human and AI diagnostic reasoning across common disorders. Attendees will gain insight into the ethical and practical implications of integrating AI into mental health assessment.
Mixed methods research (MMR) is increasingly used in counseling, yet confusion persists about what qualifies as a true MMR study. Adding an open-ended question to a survey is not mixed methods—integration is the defining feature. This poster clarifies the distinction between MMR and multi-method designs, walks attendees through three core designs (explanatory sequential, exploratory sequential, and convergent), and uses side-by-side examples to illustrate what integration looks like in practice
Veterans experience high rates of PTSD, depression, substance use, and suicide, yet often underutilize mental health services. This proposed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) explores how veteran therapists experience shared military identity with veteran clients during assessment and treatment. Guided by second-order cybernetics, the study conceptualizes assessment as a relational, co-constructed process. Findings may inform counseling assessment by highlighting therapist positionality, cultural understanding, and relational factors that influence engagement.
This study uses the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews to explore what is known about the role of investigators in birth family searches for transnational adoptees. Findings indicate that search investigation is an unregulated practice, investigators utilize traditional and digital search methods, navigate the complex sociopolitical landscape of transnational adoption, and expend significant emotional labor.
Directly measuring emotional state using latency difference of millisecond responses to depressive (D) vs. non-depressive (ND) words can overcome self-report limitations. Cross-sectional (n=682) data show two factors (D=15 items σ²≈11%; ND=12 items σ²≈11%), sensitivity .73, specificity .91, predictive and concurrent validity with PHQ-9/CES-D (p<.001). A longitudinal sample (n=97): replicates and extends validity; inversely tracks wellbeing; has good reliability (test-retest=.6; Cronbach's α≈.7).
Veterans have high rates of ACEs that interact with military trauma, increasing risk for CPTSD, depression, and suicidality. This case report illustrates how VA assessment focused on a single military trauma led to worsening of symptoms after prolonged exposure therapy. A lifespan-informed assessment revealed complex trauma, and EMDR addressing both childhood and military trauma resulted in sustained symptom reduction highlighting the need for routine ACEs screening and CPTSD-informed treatment.
Therapist self-disclosure (TSD) remains widely debated in psychotherapy, with limited research examining youth perspectives. This session highlights adolescents’ views of TSD and its role in shaping the therapeutic relationship. Using Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) for data collection and Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) for analysis, findings illustrate how TSD influences trust, engagement, and rapport with youth, including implications for counselor educators and supervisors.
This photovoice study explores the intersectional experiences of East Asian American adolescents. By visually documenting lived experiences, participants amplify marginalized voices, revealing nuanced narratives about cultural identity, stereotypes, family dynamics, and stressors. The research findings deepen the understanding of youth's diverse identities and offer insights for promoting inclusive practices in educational and community settings.
First-generation graduate students face attrition rates exceeding the one-in-three loss seen across graduate education. CACREP (2024) urges counselor educators to prioritize retention in a field facing professional shortages. Impostor syndrome is linked to negative mental health outcomes and increased attrition risk in this population. Using standard multiple regression, this presentation examines wellness and resilience as predictors of impostorism and offers strategies to support students.
This session provides a step-by-step guide for developing observation tools in counseling, education, and community settings. Participants will learn how to move from theory to observable indicators, design domains and rating systems, and establish rigor through expert review, pilot testing, and interrater reliability. An arts-based classroom observation tool is used as a practical example to illustrate each step.
Students engaging in internship report an increase efficacy in assessment skills and implementing crisis intervention (Fields et al., 2023). This study (a) explores emerging themes of students’ experiences one-year post-graduation following their enrollment in a trauma-informed professional pipeline, (b) identifies key challenges and opportunities experienced when working with CAYs who have experienced trauma, and (c) delineates areas for future research and implications for counselor educators.
Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Jennifer D. Deaton, PhD, LCMHC (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
This session presents pilot findings on a brief microteach intervention designed to increase play therapy trainees’ self-efficacy in working with suicidal children. Results showed significant gains in confidence across key skills. Attendees will learn how to integrate short, developmentally responsive training strategies into coursework to better prepare students for working with suicidality.
Counseling and faith-based collaborations are essential for bridging generational wealth gaps among minority communities, which influences societal health. Approximately 73% of individuals experience financial stress, while individuals from BIPOC communities have an even higher propensity to experience financial stressors. This session reviews counseling standards, Christian BIPOC resilience, culturally responsive collaboration, and a qualitative study on counselor–church partnerships.
This session applies a semantically grounded topic modeling approach, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), to Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD) abstracts (2016–2025) to uncover distinct thematic topics and research trends. Attendees will gain insights into shifting professional priorities and learn how computational text analysis maps the field's current state and gaps. This enables the strategic positioning of future investigations toward under-examined areas in counseling research.
With an evolving educational and healthcare landscape, it is becoming more critical for counselors to hold a unified, strong professional identity. This poster presentation summarizes the results of a qualitative investigation on how early counselor trainees’ (N = 48) CPI evolved over a semester in an introductory counseling course. In particular, we present a thematic analysis of how the counselor trainees’ responses developed their CPI over five data collection points.
This study validated the 21-item Cultural Humility and Enactment Scale in the Korean context, where demographic shifts toward multiculturalism intersect with traditional values emphasizing humility. CFA supported the three-factor structure, and convergent validity was established via its associations with CQS (cultural intelligence), CHS (cultural humility), and WAI (working alliance). Configural invariance across age groups was supported, but metric and scalar invariance were not.
This session examines the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) through Rasch modeling approaches. Guided by evidence from confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch dimensionality analyses, the study compares unidimensional and multidimensional rating scale and partial credit models. Attendees will learn how Rasch methods can be used to evaluate dimensionality and item functioning, thereby strengthening the interpretation of CES-D scores.
This session explores future-oriented stress (i.e. a chronic state of anticipatory anxiety) among International Emerging Adults (students and professionals) in the U.S., examining visa instability, identity conflicts, and counselor strategies for culturally responsive support and advocacy, studied through a convergent parallel mixed-methods design of document analysis and interviews.
This systematic review synthesizes current research on effective interventions for improving psychological beliefs among BIPOC and first-generation college students in comparison to no intervention. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the psychological and academic challenges faced by these populations, identify interventions to address these disparities, and explore how these outcomes are exacerbated within predominantly White institutions.
Counselor educators prepare the next generation of counselors, making their perspectives on virtual reality (VR) essential. This roundtable shares a phenomenological study using interviews with counselor educators in CACREP-accredited programs. Attendees will gain insight into VR’s potential for experiential learning, multicultural competence, innovative teaching, and barriers to implementation.
This study examines aberrant response patterns on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) using the graded response model, a two-parameter logistic item response theory model. A Monte Carlo simulation and applied analysis were conducted with data from 1,563 respondents. Person-fit and response pattern indices were compared to detect constant and random aberrant responses and to support response validity in CES-D research.
Sustaining improvements in couple counseling is challenging, as repeated conflict can undermine satisfaction. This study examines hope as a dyadic mediator linking perceived conflict to each partner’s satisfaction. Using dyadic couple data and an Actor–Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM), we test how conflict affects both partners’ satisfaction through hope. Findings may inform interventions that enhance hope to maintain therapeutic gains over time.
This poster presents the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) as an accessible, large-scale dataset for counseling research and shows how latent class analysis (LCA) can be applied to mental health disparity study. Based on the data (analytic N = 93,274), it illustrates the LCA process and visual outputs (e.g., model comparison tables, classification plots). Attendees will gain practical insights into LCA decision-making for uncovering subgroup heterogeneity in counseling-relevant data.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with negative mental health and developmental outcomes across the lifespan. This poster session presents the findings of a study using latent class analysis with a sample of emerging adult. Findings from the current study identified distinct ACE profiles and examined differences in life satisfaction, quality of life, resilience, and the features of emerging adulthood. Implications for research and practice will be highlighted.
This session explores a paradox of college mental health: students report high levels of isolation despite socially dense campus environments. This presentation applies a dual continuum model to identify four typologies of loneliness and belonging: Fulfilled, Searching, Indifferent, and Distressed groups. Attendees will learn how internal resources, help-seeking stigma, and campus climate distinguish these groups, highlighting that internal distress is not mitigated by social engagement alone.
Mentoring is the backbone of counselor education, so evaluating its effectiveness is critical for our profession. We introduce the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA-21), a gold standard measure of mentoring outcomes across the allied health professions. We present the findings of a psychometric meta-analysis to the degree that inferences of validity and reliability can be generalized across samples of participants in future research and practice.
CIT increasingly work with marginalized populations, including individuals experiencing substance use disorders, housing instability, and court-mandated treatment. Effective supervision is essential in preparing trainees to navigate complex systems, ethical dilemmas, and barriers to care. This poster highlights key supervision considerations, emerging challenges, and practical strategies for supporting counselor development when working with justice-involved and underserved populations.
The forensic assessment landscape is rapidly evolving, requiring forensic counselors to understand emerging evidence‑based technologies used to evaluate competence, culpability, malingering, and risk. This session reviews the most common technologies employed by forensic evaluators and emphasizes culturally responsive, neuro‑informed case conceptualization and counseling strategies. Implications for advocacy will also be discussed.
This session explores practical strategies for collecting and analyzing data from two federal grant-funded projects (i.e., National Science Foundation DRK-12 and Department of Education GEAR UP) with an emphasis on elevating participant voices. Participants will gain skills to productively organize participant data while also conducting grant projects at the same time. Examples of participant data and findings will be provided.
School counselors are well positioned to address children’s complex individual and family needs, yet many lack access to training in developmentally responsive and systemic interventions. In this session, we present findings from a Foundation funded initiative integrating play therapy and relationship education training for school counselors in a rural school district. We will review program evaluation findings and implications for cross-specialization training are discussed.
Linear multiple regression (LMR) is among the most frequently used analyses in counseling research, yet scientific reports often underreport critical details to establish scientific rigor. We will review the importance of statistical power, measurement precision, and model assumptions in relation to LMR. We report the results of a 5-year content analysis of these features across ACA-family journals and provide guidance for testing, assessing, and addressing each to ensure defensible results.
International counseling trainees (ICTs) are an increasingly visible presence in U.S. counseling psychology and counselor education programs, yet they encounter unique challenges related to language, acculturation, supervision dynamics, and clinical training requirements. This session presents findings from a scoping review that maps the current literature on ICTs’ supervision and training experiences, highlighting key themes, barriers, and promising supervisory practices.
We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to explore the impact of app-based interventions on anxiety and stress symptoms. Reviewing studies published between 2002 and 2025, our analysis provides an evidence-based understanding of using mobile apps for promoting mental health outcomes across different age groups and populations. Join us at our poster presentation to discover the effectiveness of mobile mental health interventions, explore factors influencing their effectiveness, and discuss how
This session presents a meta-analysis of 13 recent studies (2020–2025) examining school-based interventions to reduce absenteeism. Findings show a small but significant improvement (Hedges’s g = 0.091), with stronger effects in single-school settings. Attendees will gain insights into effective strategies, key contextual factors, and practical implications for implementing interventions to improve student attendance.
University counseling centers serve diverse student populations, yet not all students benefit equally and premature dropout remains common. Using large-scale, multi-site data from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH), this poster examines who benefits from counseling services and who is at risk for early dropout. Findings highlight how demographic, clinical, and engagement factors shape outcomes, with implications for equity-focused service delivery and stepped-care planning.
