Date of Conferral

3-30-2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Katarzyna Holloway

Abstract

African American women may experience body dysmorphia differently due to cultural, racial, and societal influences that shape their body perceptions and counseling experiences. Guided by a Heideggerian theoretical foundation, this hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to explore how African American women experience receiving counseling for body dysmorphia in the United States. The guiding research question was: How do African American women with body dysmorphia experience receiving help in counseling? Eight African American women participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and data analytic procedures were analyzed using the hermeneutic circle. Key findings revealed body dysmorphia as a persistent, embodied experience shaped by racialized beauty standards, cultural messaging, life transitions, and systemic pressures, contributing to ongoing cognitive and emotional distress. Counseling experiences varied based on cultural responsiveness, with greater engagement reported when clinicians affirmed racial identity and contextualized body dysmorphia within cultural and historical frameworks. Participants also reported an absence of formal assessment for body dysmorphia, highlighting a gap between clinical knowledge and practice. The implications of these findings center African American women’s voices and underscore the need for culturally responsive counseling practices, improved assessment approaches, and continued qualitative research addressing race, identity, and embodiment in body dysmorphia treatment.

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