Date of Award
5-1-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Counselor Education
First Advisor
Amanda M. Winburn
Second Advisor
Kenya G. Bledsoe
Third Advisor
Edward F. Hudspeth
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore how rural school counselors experience and interpret the professional frameworks that shape their daily practice, including the recently developed Rural School Counseling Competencies (RSCC; Boulden & Simmons, 2025). Ten rural school counselors from geographically diverse settings across the United States participated in semi-structured interviews. Analysis revealed three overarching themes: (1) Negotiating Counseling Practice Within Rural Systems, (2) Relational and Community-Embedded Counseling, and (3) Interpreting Professional Frameworks Through Rural Experience. Findings indicate that participants consistently adapted national frameworks such as the ASCA National Model to fit local realities, and that the RSCC were experienced as uniquely validating of rural school counseling practice. Participants also reflected on significant gaps in their graduate preparation for rural-specific work. These findings carry important implications for counselor education programs, specifically around the integration of rural-specific, place-based training, and for the broader effort to develop frameworks that authentically reflect the complexity of rural school counseling practice.
Recommended Citation
Harrington, Brian Wesley, "Centering Rural Voices: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Rural School Counselors’ Meaning-Making Around Professional Practice and the RSCC" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 8826.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/8826