A Phenomenological Study of Career Influences of African American Omenw in the Counseling Profession
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National Louis University Digital Commons@NLU Dissertations 9-2020 Career Influences: A phenomenological Study of Career Influences of African American omenW in the Counseling Profession. Tamara L. Ford National Louis University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Ford, Tamara L., "Career Influences: A phenomenological Study of Career Influences of African American Women in the Counseling Profession." (2020). Dissertations. 517. https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/517 This Dissertation - Public Access is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons@NLU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@NLU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CAREER INFLUENCES: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN THE COUNSELING PROFESSION by Tamara Lynn Ford Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Counseling Psychology National Louis University September 2020 National Louis University School of Counseling - Tampa The Undersigned Faculty Committee Approves the Dissertation of Dr. Tamara Lynn Ford Career Influence Caroline Perjessy, PhD, LMHC, Digitally signed by Caroline Perjessy, PhD, LMHC, LPC LPC Date: 2020.09.14 11:36:47 -04'00' Dr. Caroline Perjessy, Chair National Louis University DrDr. Martin WesleWesley National Louis University Digitally signed by Joffrey S. Suprina, PhD, Joffrey S. Suprina, PhD, LMHC LMHC Date: 2020.09.14 10:37:01 -04'00' Dr. Joffrey Suprina, Chair National Louis University Approval Date iii Copyright © 2020 by Tamara Lynn Ford iv ABSTRACT The current literature concerning African American women in the counseling profession is limited. Research is available regarding women in the profession; however, research on African American women is scarce. This study seeks to add to the body of literature by exploring the reasons African American women become counselors, thereby improving recruitment techniques to increase representation in the field and improve mental health care for the African American community. This qualitative research study used a phenomenological approach to explore, interpret, and describe the lived experiences of eight African American women who are Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors currently practicing in the counseling profession. The theoretical foundation Social Cognitive Career Theory was used to guide this study on the career influences of African American women for entering the counseling profession. Data collections were conducted using in-depth face-to-face virtual interviews with the participants and analyzed using the NVivo software. The results of the study indicated that in regards to the decision to join the counseling profession, African American women are influenced by the following: family dynamics, personal characteristics, work experiences, adult influences underrepresentation, and education. The findings in this study may not be generalized to men, other professional disciplines, or people in another ethnicity. Thus, the results of this study could be developed and implemented with a larger population using a questionnaire to determine the generalizability of the findings. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………………... iv LIST OF TABLES ………………………………………………………………………... viii LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………………………………………..….. ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS …………………………………………………………….……. x DEDICATION ……………………………………………………………………….…….. xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCION ……………………………………..………………............ 1 Background ……………………………………………………………………………… 2 History of the Counseling Profession ……………………………………….……… 7 Career Development ………………………………………………………………. 11 Career Counseling for Minorities …………………………………………………. 12 Purpose of the Study ....…………………………………………………………….…… 13 Problem Statement ……………………………………………………………...….…… 13 Significance of the Study ………………………………………………………….……. 14 Research Question ……………………………………………………………….……... 14 Definition of Terms ………………………………………………………….….....…… 14 Assumptions of the Study ……………………………………………………….……… 15 Summary ……………………………………………………………………………….. 16 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ……….………………….…………….………... 17 Social Cognitive Cognitive Career Theory …………………………..……….………… 17 Family of Origin ………………………………………………………….…....……….. 23 Socioeconomic Status ……………………………… …………….……….…………… 28 vi Personal Characteristics …………………………………………………….………….. 33 Barriers to Career Development ………………………………………..….…………… 37 The Counseling Profession …………………………………………………..………… 40 Summary………………………………………………………………………………... 45 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY …………………………………………….………….. 47 Qualitative Methodology ………………………………………………….……………. 47 Research Design ……………………………………………………….……………….. 50 Participants …………………………………………………………………….……….. 51 Materials ………………………………………………………………………..………. 53 Procedures ……………………………………………………………………….……... 55 Ethical Considerations …………………………………………………….……… 55 Data Collection …………………………………………………………….……... 57 Data Analysis …………………………………………………………….….......... 58 Trustworthiness ………………………………………………………………. 61 Transferability ………………………………………………………………… 63 Dependability …………………………………………………………………. 64 Confirmability ………………………………………………………………… 64 Limitations ……………………………………………………..………….……………. 65 Summary …………………………….…………………………………………………. 65 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ……..………………………….………………….……………… 66 Data Collection Findings …………………………….……………….……………....... 69 Research Question …………………………………………………………….……….. 70 Family Influence ……………………………………………………………….………. 70 vii Personal Characteristics ………………………………………………………..………. 76 Work Experience ……………………………………………………………………. …80 Adult Influence ………………………………………………………………………… 83 Absence of African American Counselors …………………………………………….. 87 Education ……………………………………………….……………………………… 89 Summary ………………………………………………………..……………………... 92 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ………………………………………………….…………. 94 Study Overview ……………………………………………….…….…….…………... 94 Findings Summary ………………………..……….…………………....….................... 96 Family Influence (C1) ……………………….………………..…………………. 96 Personal Characteristics (C2) ……………..……….…………..…………………. 97 Work Experience (C3) …………………………..…………..…………………… 98 Adult Influence (C4) …………………………………….………………………... 98 Absence of African American Counselors (C5) ………………………….…….. 99 Education (C6) …………………………………………………………….…….... 99 Themes ……………………………………………………………………………….. 100 Theme 1: Family Influence ……………………………………….……………… 100 Theme 2: Personal Characteristics ……………………………….………………. 101 Theme 3: Work Experience ……………………………………………………… 102 Theme 4: Adult Influence ………………………………………………………... 103 Theme 5: Absence of African American Counselors …………………….………. 103 Theme 6: Education ……………………………………………………………… 104 Limitations …………………………………………………………………………… 104 viii Recommendations ………………………………….……………………...…….…… 105 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………..….……….. 105 REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………....….….. 110 APPENDICES ………………………………………………………………….…….…... 149 A. Recruitment Notice ……………………………………………………….……..... 130 B. Information Letter ……………………………………………………….……...… 131 C. Background Information Sheet …………………………………………….….…. 133 D. Interview Protocol ……………………………………………………………..…. 134 E. Informed Consent …………………………………………………………….…... 135 F. Timeline ………...………………………………………………………………… 137 G. Recruitment Flyer ………..………………………………………………………. 137 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Demographics of Study Participants ……………………………………………… 68 Table 2. Clusters/Themes ..………………………………………………………………… 90 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Theoretical Framework …………………………………………………………….. 93 xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this journey is a milestone that could not have been achieved without the support of many people who have provided me with their unwavering support throughout this process. My family has been a constant source of support and encouragement during my lifelong pursuit of education. My parents, Joe and Brenda Ford, provided the endless support of keeping me focused to complete this journey. Thanks to my brother, Darryl Ford Sr., cousin Dorothy Russell, and friend Tangela McIlwain for giving the support, assistance, and encouragement to keep writing. I would also like to thank the members of my committee who served on the panel for this study. Dr. Caroline Perjessy, committee chair, for her encouragement and support as well as my committee member Dr. Martin Wesley for assisting me to complete this process. The research could not have been done without the generous contributions of the participants. They reverence me with the sharing of their time, thoughts, and stories. I am indebted to them for accepting the challenge of revisiting their motivations for entering the field of professional counseling and wanting to share it with others. I thank them for their helpfulness and allowing me the opportunity to share their moment of exploration and decision-making to pursue their dreams. I have been enlightened and enriched by my journey with them. I thank them for allowing me to witness their motivational and developmental factors for entering the profession. I am grateful to numerous mentors along my personal and professional pathway who steered me through many obstacles, especially during this process. I am grateful to Dr. Vickie Nichols, who has encouraged me to keep moving through the process and to get it done. Most of all, I’m immensely grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to be able to accomplish this task. Through Him, all things are possible. xii DEDICATION This dissertation