Date
9-25-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Tyler Sheppard
Keywords
Therapeutic Day Treatment, Parental Engagement, Involvement, Collaboration, Community Mental Health Services
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Woods, Dominique Rose Lynn, "Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselors’ Perspective of Parental Engagement and Involvement" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7512.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7512
Abstract
The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to describe Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselors' (TDTCs) lived experiences with parental engagement and involvement (PEI) for TDTCs, within their professional collaborations in Virginia. The study focused on a specific aspect of TDTC’s lived experience: their perspective of PEI. Several theories were reviewed as a foundation for research development. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems Theory has been an essential component of the research, as it emphasized that a child's development involves multiple elements of their environmental and social systems. Stroul and Friedman's (1986) Systems of Care Theory provided a foundation for understanding how programs, such as Therapeutic Day Treatment, are multifaceted in terms of the dynamics of services that need to be applied to a child through systems involving their parents and culture. Baumrind's (1967) Parenting Style Theory and Bowlby's (1988) Attachment Theory were crucial in understanding parents' roles in children's development. Lastly, multiple theorists of Program Theory, including Bickman (1987), McClintock (1987a), Scheirer (1981), and Wholey (1987), informed the research of the importance of considering whom the program was made for, its goals, and its objectives when providing services. The twelve participants were all current employees who provided the services under the employment of Orchids agency (pseudonym) within contracted counties, school districts, and under the same company supervision. Qualitative semi-structured interviews and one focus group session were used to collect the data. Data analysis was conducted using Clarke and Braun's (2017) six-step data analysis process, resulting in a comprehensive conclusion of the research endeavor.
