CARE Lab
Structural Factors and Counselors' Roles
Marginalized people, including LGBTQIA+ folks and older adults, face structural and interpersonal barriers that inhibit positive mental health outcomes, prevent mental health care access, and ultimately impede holistic wellness, growth, and development. Simultaneously, these populations have intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community resources that buffer the negative effects of these barriers. Our focus here is understanding how structural factors influence mental health and what counselors can do broadly to support health equity for all of the individuals, families, and communities we serve.
Publicatons & Projects
Publications and active projects related to this line of research are outlined below.
Help-Seeking Among Gen Z College Students
Shaikh, A. N., Westcott, J. B., Franck Love, S., Flynn, L., Chang, C. Y., & Mize, M. C. (2023). Examining help-seeking intentions among Generation Z college students. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2023.2198155
Relational Cultural Theory
Westcott, J. B. & Grimes, T. O. (2023). Applications of relational-cultural theory for social justice in mental health counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 45(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.45.1.01
Counselor Advocacy
Westcott, J. B., Fullen, M. C., & Jordan, J. (2023). Advancing access to Medicare-funded mental health treatment during the opioid epidemic: A counselor advocacy analysis. Journal of Counseling & Development, 101(1), 15–28. http://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12452
Counselor Advocacy
Fullen, M. C., Westcott, J. B., & Williams, J. C. (2020). Knowledge is power: An analysis of counseling professionals’ Medicare policy proficiency. Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 12(1), 44–56. https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.12.1.44-56
988 Crisis Lifeline Knowledge and Use
Shaikh, A. N., Westcott, J. B., Mize, M. C. B., & Chang, C. Y. (invited revision). Knowledge and use of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline among college students.
Crisis Line Access Among Men of Color
Qualitative research in progress examining attitudes and barriers to 988 Crisis Lifeline services among men of color enrolled in college
Select Conference Presentations
1 / Disseminating Research
Shaikh, A. N., Westcott, J. B., & Coleman, J. (2023, September 9). Sharing your scholarship beyond the ivory tower: Creative strategies for accessible research dissemination [50-minute content session]. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling Conference, Nashville, Tennessee.
2 / 988 Crisis Line
Shaikh, A. N., Mize, M. C. B., Chang, C. Y. & Westcott, J. B. (2023, September 8). Utilizing the 988 suicide and crisis line in counselor training [Poster session]. Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling Conference, Nashville, Tennessee.
3 / Relational Cultural Theory
Westcott, J. B. & Grimes, T. O. (2022, October 17). Connecting for competence: Relational cultural theory and social justice [60-minute clinician education session with live chat]. The American Counseling Association Virtual Conference Experience.