Date
5-22-2024
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision (PhD)
Chair
Joy Mwendwa
Keywords
global mental health, internationalization, globalization of counseling, low- and middle-income countries, counseling leaders, counseling professionals
Disciplines
Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Kimony, Daniel Muthini, "Exploring the Lived Experience of Counseling Leaders and Professionals in the East African Community Transitioning Through the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5680.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5680
Abstract
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental assembly, currently comprising seven member states including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. This transcendental phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of counseling leaders and professionals in the EAC as they transitioned through the COVID-19 global pandemic. Grounded in Schlossberg’s transition theory, the study explored participants’ experiences as they moved into, moved through, and moved out of the pandemic in the period between January 2020 and May 2023. Triangulated, qualitative data, assessed through transcendental and heuristic methodology, was collected from 10 participants representing five out of the seven EAC member states using semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Thematic findings from the study included four composite themes: (a) challenges and adaptive responses; (b) socio-economic disruptions; (c) counselor psychological distress and coping; (d) socio-cultural dynamics. The study highlighted social, practical, and empirical implications for counselor education and supervision and discussed recommendations for the counseling profession in the EAC.
