Defense Date

6-5-2006

Graduation Date

2006

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Counselor Education and Supervision (ExCES)

School

School of Education

Committee Chair

Joseph F. Maola

Committee Member

James E. Henderson

Committee Member

John E. Welburn

Keywords

Counselor Education, Experience Levels, Stress, Students

Abstract

The following study examines stress among graduate level counselor education students at different stages during their training program. The students were assigned to three groups according to training level: (1) beginning, (2) practicum, and (3) graduating. The Stress Profile (Nowack, 1999) was administered to the students (N= 58). Three constructs were chosen from the survey: (1) stress, (2) cognitive hardiness, and (3) psychological well-being. The constructs were developed using the theoretical framework of Lazarus's (1999) theory of appraisal and stress. These variables were compared among the students to determine if a difference in stress levels exists at different times during their training. The beginning students demonstrated a significantly higher amount of psychological well-being when compared to the graduating students. Although the survey did not demonstrate significance on the measure of stress and cognitive hardiness, the data displays a directional trend of increasing stress as the students progress through their training program. Implications for counselor education training and mental health professionals, as well as limitations and a need for future research are discussed.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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