Date of Award

June 2019

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Counseling and Human Services

Advisor(s)

Melissa Luke

Keywords

counseling leadership, culturally responsive leadership, leadership, multicultural leadership, social justice leadership, socially just and culturally responsive leadership

Abstract

The purpose of the grounded theory study was to develop an abstracted theory concerning how counselor educator leaders engage in and enact socially just and culturally responsive counseling leadership in professional association and higher education contexts. This study addressed two research questions: What processes influence counselor education leaders to engage in and enact socially just and culturally responsive leadership in the context of counseling associations and higher education? and How does socially just and culturally responsive leadership occur in the contexts of counseling associations and higher education?

This study included 18 participants with a range of social locations and professional leadership experiences in counseling associations and higher education. Participant data were collected over two rounds of semi-structured interviews, member checks, and peer debriefing. The researcher collected and analyzed data using the Straussian tradition of grounded theory combined with the theory of intersectionality to explore the experiences, narratives, and actions-interactions of the 18 counselor leaders. Findings from this study are presented using Corbin and Strauss’ (2015) framework, consisting of causal conditions, contextual factors, intervening conditions, actions, phenomenon, consequences, and a core-category. This study resulted in a data-driven model explaining how these 18 participants engaged in and enacted counseling leadership that they deemed as both socially just and culturally responsive. Based on the data and findings, implications for counseling leadership, training, and development; social justice and cultural responsivity; and future research are discussed.

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Open Access

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