Dissertation
Lived experiences of counselor educators training school counselors to address cyberbullying in K-12 schools
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2025
DOI: 10.25820/etd.008173
Abstract
This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of counselor educators in CACREP-accredited programs as they prepare school counseling students to address cyberbullying in K–12 schools. Despite the prevalence and psychological impact of cyberbullying on students, limited guidance exists within school counselor training frameworks, particularly the 2024 CACREP standards. Through semi-structured interviews with counselor educators, this study investigates the extent to which cyberbullying is addressed in school counselor preparation, the pedagogical approaches employed, and the gaps in formal training. The findings reveal critical insights into how counselor educators navigate evolving technological fluidity, the informal methods they use to supplement curricular gaps, and the challenges they face in responding to emerging digital threats. The study highlights a need for systemic curricular reform and professional development focused on digital literacy, cyber-ethics, and proactive intervention strategies. Implications include recommendations for accrediting bodies, counselor education programs, and state licensure bodies to enhance the preparedness of school counselors to act as digital first responders. This research contributes to the scholarship on counselor education by identifying necessary shifts in training paradigms to better support K-12 students' emotional and academic well-being in an increasingly digital world.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Lived experiences of counselor educators training school counselors to address cyberbullying in K-12 schools
- Creators
- Sailee Karkhanis
- Contributors
- Yung-Wei Lin (Advisor)David K. Duys (Committee Member)Laura L Gallo (Committee Member)Susannah M. Wood (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Counselor Education (Counselor Education & Supervision)
- Date degree season
- Summer 2025
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.008173
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- xiii, 290 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2025 Sailee Karkhanis
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 07/15/2025
- Description illustrations
- illustrations, tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 224-273).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Cyberbullying is a serious problem in today s K-12 schools, affecting students mental health, learning, and safety. School counselors are often the first adults students turn to for help, but many school counselors feel unprepared to deal with cyberbullying. This research looks at how counselor educators professors who train future school counselors teach about addressing cyberbullying in K-12 schools. The study focuses on counselor educators from programs accredited by CACREP, a national organization that sets training standards for school counselors. Using semi-structured interviews, the research explores what these educators are teaching, what challenges they face, and whether current training is enough to prepare future school counselors for digital issues like cyberbullying.
The findings show that while some counselor educators include topics about online safety, there is no consistent training across programs. Many feel the national training standards don t go far enough to address the realities of students online lives. The study suggests that school counselor training should include more focus on technology use, online risks, and mental health impacts. This research helps bridge the gap between what students face in the digital world and how school counselors are trained to support them. It also encourages education leaders and policymakers to update training programs so that school counselors can help students thrive, both offline and online.
- Academic Unit
- Counselor Education
- Record Identifier
- 9984948540002771
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