My name is Kayla Kemp and I am a doctoral candidate at the University of Iowa’s Counselor Education and Supervision program. You are invited to participate in my research study titled The Experience of Leadership: A Phenomenological Analysis on the Leadership Experiences of Masters-level Counseling Students. The purpose of the study is to explore the counseling-related leadership experiences of master’s-level students who are involved with their state-level counseling associations. Through this study, I hope to learn more about how leadership is experienced by counseling graduate students and why they elected to get involved in counseling-related leadership roles during their time in graduate school. The study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Iowa.

You are eligible for this study if you are currently enrolled in a master’s-level CACREP-accredited counseling program and are involved with a state-level counseling association in a role beyond membership, meaning you hold a position or title that allows you to influence association-level decisions. You are also eligible if you graduated from a master’s-level CACREP-accredited counseling program within the last year and were involved with a state-level counseling association in a role beyond membership during your training.

This study will be conducted through a one-on-one interview between the researcher and participant. During the interview, you will be asked to share about your leadership experience with your state-level counseling association, including your role, duties, and motivations for pursuing the leadership role. The interviews may last 45 to 90 minutes. Participants who complete the initial interview will be sent a $40 Visa e-gift card, and those who also complete a follow-up checkpoint with the researcher will be eligible for an additional $10 Visa e-gift card.

If you are interested in participating, please click the link below and complete the questionnaire. If you meet the study criteria, the researcher will follow up with you shortly. If you know of anyone who fits this criterion and is interested in this study, please feel free to forward them this email.

Link to study participation questionnaire: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cxdvaLzFMX2S6k6

For additional information about this study, please contact Kayla Kemp at kayla-kemp@uiowa.edu or Dr. Laura Gallo at laura-gallo@uiowa.edu.

Thank you,
Kayla Kemp, MA, tLMHC (she, her)