University of Northern Colorado Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC Dissertations Student Research 8-2020 The Experience of Affectional and Gender Minority Students at Cacrep Accredited Counseling Programs Housed Within Conservative Christian Institutions: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Matthew S. Tis Follow this and additional works at: https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Tis, Matthew S., "The Experience of Affectional and Gender Minority Students at Cacrep Accredited Counseling Programs Housed Within Conservative Christian Institutions: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis" (2020). Dissertations. 695. https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/695 This Text is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © 2020 MATTHEW S. TIS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO Greeley, Colorado The Graduate School THE EXPERIENCE OF AFFECTIONAL AND GENDER MINORITY STUDENTS AT CACREP ACCREDITED COUNSELING PROGRAMS HOUSED WITHIN CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS: AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Matthew S. Tis College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Department of Applied Psychology and Counselor Education Counselor Education and Supervision August 2020 This Dissertation by: Matthew S. Tis Entitled: The Experience of Affectional and Gender Minority Students at CACREP Accredited Counseling Programs Housed within Conservative Christian Institutions: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis has been approved as meeting the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences in the Department of Applied Psychology and Counselor Education, Program of Counselor Education and Supervision. Accepted by the Doctoral Committee ______________________________________________________ Jennifer L. Murdock Bishop, PhD, Chair _______________________________________________________ Jennifer Smith, PhD, Committee Member _______________________________________________________ Linda L. Black, EdD, Committee Member _______________________________________________________ Jill L. Bezyak, PhD, Faculty Representative Date of Dissertation Defense 5/5/2020 Accepted by the Graduate School _________________________________________________________ Cindy Wesley, Ph.D. Interim Associate Provost and Dean The Graduate School and International Admissions ABSTRACT Tis, Matthew S. The Experience of Affectional and Gender Minority Students at CACREP Accredited Counseling Programs Housed within Conservative Christian Institutions: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore the lived experiences of affectional and gender minority students who currently attend or previously attended CACREP accredited counseling programs housed within Conservative Christian Institutions (CCIs), and the sense they make of those experiences. Eight themes emerged from individual interviews conducted with five participants, with most themes existing across all participant accounts. Participants described discriminatory environments in their master’s programs, the damaging effects of those experiences, and the safe spaces and relationships that mitigated that damage. They also discussed the ways in which those experiences impacted their spiritual development and stunted their development with respect to counselor identity and affectional and gender identity. The results of this research highlight the opportunity and responsibility that CCIs have to both protect these vulnerable student populations and provide models for them. The study also underscores the need for the counseling field to align the expectations of practitioners with the expectations placed upon training programs regarding the treatment of individuals who identify as affectional and gender minorities. Keywords: LGBTQ+, CACREP, Christian, discrimination, development iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many people who played a role in making this research possible. First, I want to thank Smith, Okech, Sells, and Hagedorn for having the courage to engage this topic in a public forum, and to do so in a respectful, civil, and thoughtful way. It was your exchange back in the summer of 2016 that started me down a path which ultimately culminated in this project. I also want to thank the University of Northern Colorado – the faculty, staff, and my fellow students – you made this possible in so many ways and I’m grateful for the role that each of you played in this process. Thank you, Dr. Helm, for your supervision of the CES program. You steered the ship through some rough waters at times and I appreciate your leadership. I want to thank my committee for supporting and refining this project. Dr. Murdock, your advice and encouragement have been invaluable over the past few years; thank you for your initial service on the committee, for being willing to step into the Chair role when needed, and for all of the hours you spent providing the feedback that shaped this study. Dr. Smith, I could not have done this without your willingness to join the project and your expertise on the topic. Dr. Black, thank you for always being available for feedback and support, and for your willingness to challenge and push me in a constructive way. Dr. Bezyak, thank you for staying on board through all of the changes and transitions, and for your feedback and support. I also want to thank Dr. Elysia Clemens. Your guidance during the early phases of the project helped turn my ideas into iv a legitimate research study. Thank you also for mentoring me as a researcher and teaching me what good research looks like. I owe a deep sense of gratitude to the participants who volunteered for this research. They gave their time, but more importantly, they were willing to trust me with their stories. I was amazed by your willingness to share such personal and often painful experiences with me; this research literally could not have happened without you and I could not have hoped for anything more than what you gave me. I also want to thank Misha for your help in thinking through what questions to ask and how to go about navigating the research process. Your thoughts and feedback on the front end of the project were so valuable. Thank you to Maddie’s and 105 West Brewing Company for free wifi, good beer, and letting me take up a table for hours on end. I could have done it without you, but I would have enjoyed it a lot less. To Jason Fruh – our time spent over early morning coffees and late night beers was invaluable to me; it impacted not only my research, but my perspective on life, faith, and family. You are my brother in every sense of the word. To my parents, Bill and Betty Ann Tis – you made this journey possible and allowed me to embark on it while still getting to be the father and husband that you raised me to be. It would have been a longer and more difficult struggle without your love and support – maybe even one I would have never ventured into at all; I’m proud to be your son and hope I have been a good steward of all that you have given me. I might be biased, but I honestly do not believe there is a better set of parents in this world – I love you will all my heart. v To my children – Lily, Mabel, and William – I’m thankful for the ways in which you kept me grounded and made sure that I took study breaks J. Two of you were born during this PhD process and while I hope our house is always filled with a love of learning, I’m excited for the next season of our lives in which I can be more available to all three of you. I look forward to spending less time in front of the computer and more time engaged with each of you in whatever adventures you want to pursue. I love you. To my wife, Tina – where to even begin! You took on extra work in every aspect of our lives so that I could pursue this dream. You inspired me, challenged me, revived and rejuvenated me. You also spent countless hours proofreading, coding, and giving feedback; your insight and wisdom helped shape these ideas from a vague collection of musings into this final document. You believed, hoped, and dreamed – sometimes when I couldn’t – and you motivated me to continue to give it my best in the moments when I was tempted to “just get it done.” I am absolutely positive that I would neither have begun nor finished this without your unwavering support and encouragement, and what a lonely endeavor it would have been without your companionship. There is no one else I would rather walk with on any journey. I promise I’ll never get another PhD. Thank you and I love you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1 Focus of the Study .................................................................................................. 3 Background and Context ......................................................................................... 5 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................... 14 Purpose .................................................................................................................