Date of Conferral

5-15-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Cynthia Briggs

Abstract

Most offenders face challenges with successfully reintegrating, especially those living with chronic illness and/or disabilities. Transition interventions employed by mental health professionals are not universal and vary from facility to facility. While recidivism, community stigmatization, reoffending, and reconviction are explored in extant literature, little has been done to examine the difficulties faced by the professionals who work with this population as they get ready to plan for transitioning this disenfranchised group back into society. This study is an exploration of the role of professional counselors in facilitating successful transition planning for inmates living with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities. Guided by constructivist grounded theory, six counselors experienced in the reentry process were interviewed. Five interrelated themes emerged through iterative coding and analysis, highlighting counselor self-reflection, systemic awareness, and collaborative practice. These findings informed the development of the integrated transition support model (ITSM), a holistic, cyclical five-phase framework to guide professional counselors in creating and implementing effective transition plans. The model includes (a) self-reflection and professional orientation, (b) barriers identification and resource mapping, (c) collaborative transition planning and client-centered goal setting, (d) systemic advocacy and innovation in support services, and (e) implementation and follow-up. This study has practical implications for counselor education, contributes a theoretically grounded, practice-oriented model for professional counselors, and expands the literature on transition planning for marginalized populations.

Download

Share

 
COinS