Date
7-15-2024
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Todd Schultz
Keywords
Resilience, COVID-19, stress, burnout, licensed marriage and family therapist
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Lund, Melissa, "A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Exploring How Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists Describe the Emotional Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5776.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5776
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) in private practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was viewed through the lens of resilience theory, which suggests that an individual's ability to adapt and overcome adverse experiences is based on their individual level of resilience. Eight LMFTs varying in demographics, such as age, gender, and ethnicity, as well as length of time in practice participated in individual interviews exploring their lived experiences during the pandemic. The study's questions aimed to gain a better understanding of the emotional impact of the pandemic, how the therapists described the emotional impact on their personal and professional lives, and how they described the feelings associated with stress. Themes that emerged based on participants' lived experiences included recognition of the need for a healthy work/life balance as well the recognition of feelings of fear, anger, and uncertainty during the pandemic.
