The Experiences of Counseling Graduate Students Who Participated in Professional Legislative Advocacy Training

The Experiences of Counseling Graduate Students Who Participated in Professional Legislative Advocacy Training by Nakpangi Thomas MS, University of Phoenix, 2011 BSW, Florida Atlantic University, 2000 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counselor Education and Supervision Walden University January 2019 Abstract Legislative advocacy efforts are increasingly becoming part of a counselor’s professional identity, yet there is a lack of empirical data available on the experiences of counseling students involved in legislative advocacy for the counseling profession. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the meaning counseling students ascribe to their involvement in legislative advocacy for the counseling profession. Astin’s studentLegislative advocacy efforts are increasingly becoming part of a counselor’s professional identity, yet there is a lack of empirical data available on the experiences of counseling students involved in legislative advocacy for the counseling profession. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the meaning counseling students ascribe to their involvement in legislative advocacy for the counseling profession. Astin’s student involvement theory was the conceptual framework utilized to explore the lived experiences of counseling graduate students and recent graduates who participated in a 4day long American Counseling Association Institute for Leadership Training on legislative advocacy and leadership or in professional legislative advocacy at the state level. Convenient and snowball sampling yielded 8 participants who engaged in semistructured interviews. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the data were analyzed to identify essential themes. Thematic analysis was conducted by hand using literature-based codes and lean coding as well as NVivo software. Themes included awareness, faculty mentor, involvement, incorporating legislative advocacy into the curriculum, lack of confidence, student learning and personal development, legislative culture, motivation, student obstacles to professional legislative advocacy, and problems in working with other professions. Findings may be useful for counselor educators seeking to integrate professional legislative advocacy into the counseling curriculum. Implementing a professional legislative advocacy approach into the counseling curriculum might contribute to counselor students’ developing a propensity for leadership, advocacy, and professional legislative advocacy beyond graduation. The Experiences of Counseling Graduate Students Who Participated in Professional Legislative Advocacy Training by Nakpangi Thomas MS, University of Phoenix, 2011 BSW, Florida Atlantic University, 2000 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counselor Education and Supervision Walden University January 2019 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated in loving memory of my grandparents, Safee and Tauheedah Akbar, for instilling in me a hard work ethic and encouraging me to live my dreams. They taught me the meaning of integrity -to be a person of my word. They taught me the meaning of compassion by showing me through their example of caring for others. The greatest lesson my grandparents taught me was to have a strong faith in God and that all things are possible as long as I walk in faith. Acknowledgments I would first like to thank my mother, Asya Akbar, who has supported my every decision, whether good or bad. Your love and support have helped me to develop character and to go after my goals no matter the odds. Mother, you taught me to be a strong woman, to stand in my truth, and to know the meaning of unconditional love. Without you, this could not have been possible. To my father, Frank Thomas, and his wife, Bertha Thomas, thank you both for your belief in me and your nonwavering support. Your emotional support during this doctoral process provided me with the strength to complete the process. Father, you taught me to think critically, to be nonjudgmental, and to accept others where they are. To my aunt, Dorothy Robinson, the family says I am just like you, a seeker of knowledge. I thank you for instilling in me a commitment to my culture and quest for knowledge. You have inspired me from a youth as I watched you produce your plays as well as your political and social justice actions. You have helped shaped me to be the women that I have become. I would like to acknowledge Dr. April Young for introducing me to professional legislative advocacy and her mentorship. This dissertation would not have come to fruition if you had not called me back in 2013 to attend my first American Counseling Association’s Institute for Leadership Training. The counseling profession needs more mentors like you to help guide students toward their professional goals. To my third dissertation chair, Dr. Theodore Remley; I guess what they say is true. The third time is the charm. Your guidance during my journey has taught me to believe in myself again. With that said, it is my honor to be a “Tedlette. ” Dr. Mark Stauffer, my dissertation member, I thank you for your unconditional support. You have supported and encouraged throughout my doctoral journey. You believed in me when I did not believe in myself. Having you on my dissertation team has enriched my learning experience. Dr. David Capuzzi, without you I could not have completed this journey. At my first Walden residency, you spoke to the group on the importance of being a good steward and the characteristics of a scholar. Through your mentor forum, I learned that I must do more than what is expended in the classroom. I have been following your roadmap ever since. Dr. Gary Szirony, how do I thank you for the emotional support you provided during my doctoral journey? You have talked me off the ledge more times than I care to share. You taught me to see the humor during distressing moments. Words cannot express my gratitude. To Dr. Joy Whitman, thank you for helping in the development of my scholarly voice. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Tara Kachgal, for her thorough edits of my dissertation. Your color coded guide of your edits made my dyslexic brain sing in glee. A very special thank you to ACA’s Art Terrazas, for teaching me how to be an advocate for the counseling profession. Without you, I would not understand the importance of professional legislative advocacy and how important it is to just tell my story when speaking to legislators. To my guardian angel, Dr. Daniel Quincy. You came into my life as a Facebook friend 3 years ago. No one could have told me then how instrumental you would be during my dissertation journey. You checked in with me to make sure I was working on my dissertation. You provided helpful resources. But, your encouraging words and the confidence you had in me to complete this process are what I will most treasure. Thank you, my friend and colleague, Dr. Tezonia Morgan. You never allowed me to quite the dissertation no matter the circumstances. Thank you for not screaming at me when I would leave a 2:00 a.m. voice regarding a new research idea. Thank you for allowing me to cry on your shoulder. But, most of all, thank you for being YOU. It truly takes a village to get through the doctoral journey. I would like to thank my village for their words of encouragement, keeping me on track, and their examples of advocacy to the counseling profession and leadership: Dr. Victoria Kress, Dr. Shon Smith, Dr. David Ford, Dr. Christian Chang, Dr. Martina Moore, Melanie Popiolek, Dr. Stacey Litem, and Dr. Letitia Browne-James. A huge thank you to my Day 1s: Marlo Carson, NaTarsha Barnes, Vanessa Lewis, Mary Woods-Miles, and Gailyn Laird. You all have nourished me, housed me, read my dissertation chapters, helped with my campaign, and provided psychological support. I will always remember your support! Thanks to my University of Phoenix-Detroit Campus mentors Janice McCrary, Dr. Hakeem Lumumba, Marcia Davis, Rotesa Baker, and Dr. Jason Wilkerson, for your continued support. Lastly, I would like to thank Detroit Police Commissioner William Davis for believing in my political aspirations and recruiting me to run for Wayne County Commissioner. I learned valuable skills related to running a political campaign, as well as the workings of Michigan and Detroit politics, and I had the opportunity to meet a few key legislators.