Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Theodore Remley

Abstract

The U.S. counseling profession is mostly female, with many practitioners interested in starting their own business. However, little is known about women’s lived experiences of owning a group counseling practice. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used to explore the lived experiences of six female licensed professional counselors who have owned a group counseling practice for at least 5 years. Phenomenology and feminist theory provided a framework for the study. Eight themes emerged from the study: (a) factors associated with the decision to create a group practice, (b) a continuum of preparatory engagement for group practice ownership, (c) the influence of gender in ongoing perception of self and others, (d) group practice owners' adaptability to a global pandemic, (e) owners' attitudes and perceptions about group practice ownership, (f) group practice as a conduit for owners' personal growth, (g) factors that include use of their clinical training in varied contexts, and (h) owners' experiences in meeting administrative and business challenges. These findings offer counselor educators, supervisors, and group and solo practitioners insight into expanding their current business practices. Study findings could contribute to positive social change by helping owners to be more efficient, thereby allowing them to reallocate time, energy, and financial resources to advocacy at the local level. In addition, the results of this study may help counseling associations to better allocate resources to respond to members’ increasing interest in business ownership.

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