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School Counselors Lived Experience of a Rampage School Shooting Carleton H

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School Counselors Lived Experience of a Rampage School Shooting Carleton H University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 12-2015 School Counselors Lived Experience of a Rampage School Shooting Carleton H. Brown University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Child Psychology Commons, Counseling Psychology Commons, and the Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons Recommended Citation Brown, Carleton H., "School Counselors Lived Experience of a Rampage School Shooting" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 1321. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1321 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected]. School Counselors Lived Experience of a Rampage School Shooting A dissertation proposal submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education by Carleton H. Brown University of Central Arkansas, Bachelor of Arts in English, 2000 University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Master of Education in Secondary Education, 2003 University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Master of Education in Counselor Education, 2009 December 2015 University of Arkansas This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. ____________________ Dr. Roy Farley Dissertation Director ____________________ ____________________ Dr. Kristin Higgins Dr. Toni Thorn Committee Member Committee Member ____________________ Dr. John Pijanowski Committee Member ©2015 by Carleton H. Brown All Rights Reserved Abstract Minimal research has been conducted to examine school counselors’ lived experiences of rampage school shootings. The purpose of this research is to increase school counselors’ knowledge and skills in responding effectively to such a crisis. A single-case qualitative dissertation study was completed at a rampage school shooting site, a middle school, and the immediate surrounding area in Bono, AR, located in the northeast part of Arkansas. School counselors’ decisions, perceived expertness, and lessons learned were investigated. Data collected included relevant research literature (including comparison research), archival records, direct observation, media reports, and interviews. Participants interviewed were individuals who lived through the crisis: two previous elementary school counselors, the previous middle school counselor, the previous middle school principal, the previous school psychologist, the previous elementary school art teacher and bus driver, a parent of a previous middle school student, and a previous middle school student. Theoretical integration was used as an analytical strategy and assisted in interpreting the data. A working conceptual framework was generated from the study, the ‘School Counselors’ Response to School Shootings’ framework (S.C.R.S.S.). The conceptual framework provides informed and helpful actions that school counselors may take for preparation, in-crisis protocol, and post-crisis responses to a rampage school shooting. Other benefiters of the study include crisis response planners, school crisis teams, counselor educators, researchers, school counselor supervisors, counselor crisis leaders, principals, superintendents, and state and national counseling organizations. Recommendations for implementation, practice, and further research are included. Acknowledgments There are many individuals whom I would like to acknowledge from a professional perspective as well as a personal one. My intent is to be brief in words yet comprehensive in list of persons to acknowledge. I apologize in advance to anyone I may have accidentally omitted. Professional From a professional perspective, there are so many individuals who have positively impacted my counseling career up to this point. I am grateful for each person and to fate for allowing our paths to cross. I am indebted to the community of my research site, advisors and dissertation committee, research consultants and educators, professional moral support agents, peers, and the counseling profession. Research site It was an honor to associate with the brave people of the Westside community, the school district, and previous and current faculty and staff. I am deeply grateful that you opened your doors to me and allowed me to pry into your world. I am especially thankful for the courageous, thoughtful, and engaging interview participants; this project would not have been possible without your contributions. I have given my all in attempting to tell a piece of your overall story with complete accuracy. My intent is to use your experiences in tragedy for the purposes of good. Advising and Dissertation committee To my advising and dissertation committee, “We did it!” Each of you has played an important part in my journey. I hope you find some joy in knowing that you are deeply appreciated. To Dr. Roy Farley, I first thank you and the awesome, Mrs. Judy Stephen for recruiting me into the counseling program. I also am thankful for your guidance throughout the program as well as leading my dissertation committee. To Dr. Kristin Higgins, I love your heart for your students and I feel blessed to have received valuable feedback and supervision from you. To Dr. John Pijanowski, your input has assisted in the quality of my overall study. You helped to fill in the gaps of my qualitative knowledge and for that I am immensely grateful. To Dr. Toni Thorn, I cannot thank you enough for being so unselfish with your time, patience, and intelligence with help with my dissertation and in professional organizations. To Dr. Daniel Kissinger, you have helped me with presentations, supervising, counseling associations, and research, but more importantly I am grateful for your unwavering faith in my abilities and potential. Research consultants and educators To my research instructors and consultants, I am so thankful for the sharing of your expertise. To Dr. Michael Loos, I am thankful for your instruction in doing research with a counseling focus as well as your candor and openness in and outside of the classroom. To Dr. Mary Ramey, you came to teach qualitative research at a time that we were not sure if we would have a qualitative research teacher. It was great timing for me in the progression of my program. Furthermore, thank you for continued consulting outside of the classroom with my research. To Dr. Lynn Koch, thank you for being a consultant to me and providing me valuable resources to aid me in my research. Moral support and encouragement I am very appreciative of all the professors who offered moral support and encouragement, especially the ones I have only had for a short time. To Dr. Arie Greenleaf, I am grateful for your steady encouragement in attending conferences, presenting, and actively looking for research opportunities. Your encouragement had a positive impact on me as well as on my peers. To Dr. Kristi Perryman, one would think we have known each other for a long time, but I am grateful that our paths met and especially thankful for your immediate belief in me, continually checking on me and willingness to assist me with my research. Peers Undeniably, this journey has been made easier because of my comrades in the struggle. There are definitely too many of you to name, but I am honored and bonded to you from this point forward. I am thankful for all the graduate students who worked aside me with the state conferences and more importantly, shared the ups and downs of pursuing higher education as well as life. I am especially grateful for Mrs. Bonnie Behrend and Mrs. Aneeqa Ishtiaq for helping me to think through areas of my research. Counseling Profession The counseling profession is one of the great professions of human history. I am thankful to have had the chance to enter it and establish it as my career. I am grateful for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), specifically, Dr. Jason Kushner, Dr. Dawn Harris, and Dr. Rochelle Moss who introduced me to the history, theories, and application of the profession. I am grateful for the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UARK) for assisting me in growing further in the counseling field. I am especially thankful for the UARK library staff for the assistance with research. I am thankful for Conway Public School District for giving me a start in school counseling. I am thankful for national and state organizations, the American Counseling Association and its divisions, especially the American School Counselor Association. I am grateful for the Arkansas Counseling Association and its divisions, including the Arkansas School Counseling Association. These organizations provided leadership training, opportunities, networking, and continuing education in counselor-related topics, including qualitative research. Personal Family Words cannot express how grateful I am for such a wonderful support system in my family. First and foremost, I send heartfelt thanks and unconditional love to my better half, my wife, Dr. Tamekia Brown. I could write a book for the many blessings you brought into my life but even then, I would need to catalogue hundreds of editions and it still would not be enough. I thank you for a lifetime of friendship, companionship, and unwavering faith and support in me. It is beyond my mental capacity to imagine life without you by my side. To my four year old son, Mr. Charles N. Brown, you have no idea the joy you brought to our lives. Each time I am with you, I want to make the world a better place. You are my inspiration. To my mother, Mrs. Claudia Brown and late father, Mr. Charles H. Brown, you were the first to teach me what it means to experience unconditional love, the pursuit of education, faith, and so much more. I recognize and am very grateful that I won the lottery with you two as my parents. Furthermore, many people think they have an awesome mother, but I am assured that I have the best mom in the world. No matter what the problem, you are always there to let me know it will all work out.
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