Katie Nichole Schmitz, a 2024 graduate of Antioch’s PhD Program in Counselor Education & Supervision, has written and published her dissertation titled Examining Multicultural Leadership Development Practices in Counselor Education to Foster Future Leaders.
Using the Delphi method, Schmitz’s study was to gain a deeper understanding of how doctoral programs foster leadership development in counselor education. The study had input from sixteen experts, with the hope that recommendations for incorporating leadership-related learning outcomes and multicultural leadership identities could be found.
Data was examined through the lenses of transformational learning and leadership theories with research questions consisting of the following: what are the best practices in teaching and/or fostering multicultural leadership development in Counselor Education, and what are the recommendations for integrating CACREP leadership-related learning objectives in the curriculum? Eight themes were then identified, and implications included normalizing anti-oppressive and liberatory practices in leadership development, building upon existing opportunities, and reimagining leadership to be more culturally inclusive to evolve the training and profession in the desired direction.
Schmitz completed a year-long research fellowship where she produced two manuscripts related to neurodiversity in family systems. She is a Licensed Provider and has worked in multiple settings, from community mental health to private and group practices. She enjoys working with young adults launching from home and parents who are dealing with child disability issues or neurodivergent couples. In addition to her clinical work, she works alongside associate-level clinicians and counseling interns and provides supervision and support, developing their clinical skills and solidifying their counselor identity post-graduation.
Read and download Schmitz’s dissertation, Examining Multicultural Leadership Development Practices in Counselor Education to Foster Future Leaders, here.
