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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Dear Colleagues and Counselor Education Students,<span style="color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> You are invited to participate in a Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) supported research study that seeks to<b> validate a reliable Counselor Wellness Competency Scale (CWCS);
establish the factor structure of a construct (using exploratory factor and confirmatory analysis); and compare the CWCS with existing instruments.</b> The results of this study will be used to validate the instrument and guide future research related to counselor
wellness assessment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Because the research is backed by CSI, a de-identified version of the data collected will be archived with CSI.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">To participate in this study, you must be a:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Professional counselor who is currently seeing clients/patients/students. or</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Professional school counselor who is currently seeing students or</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Counselor education student (master's & doctoral level) who is currently completing practicum or internships and is currently seeing clients/patients/students</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">To participate, please use this<b>
</b><a href="https://wcupa.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AiWw7qx3Y7742i" title="https://wcupa.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AiWw7qx3Y7742i"><b><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:blue">Survey Link</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">It will take you approximately 25-35minutes to complete this survey. The first page of the survey is an "Informed Consent" which provides specific details regarding
the nature of this research study and also provides information regarding your rights as a participant.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">E-mail:
<a href="mailto:basempapa@wcupa.edu" title="mailto:basempapa@wcupa.edu"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:blue">basempapa@wcupa.edu</span></a> or by phone: (610) 436-3977)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">This study has been approved by the West Chester University Institutional Review Board, protocol IRB-FY2026-231<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Thank you for helping with this important study.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Research Team:</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Bridget Asempapa (<a href="mailto:basempapa@wcupa.edu-"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">basempapa@wcupa.edu-</span></a> West Chester University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Donna Gibson (<a href="mailto:dgibson7@vcu.edu)-Virginia"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">dgibson7@vcu.edu)-Virginia</span></a> Commonwealth University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Matthew Nice (<a href="mailto:mnice@iup.edu)-"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">mnice@iup.edu)-</span></a> Indiana University of Pennsylvania<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Suzanne Degges-White (<a href="mailto:sdeggeswhite@niu.edu"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">sdeggeswhite@niu.edu</span></a>) - Northern Illinois University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Jennifer Gerlach (<a href="mailto:gerlachjm@longwood.edu"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">gerlachjm@longwood.edu</span></a>) - Longwood University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Yiying Xiong (<a href="mailto:yxiong@jhu.edu)-"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">yxiong@jhu.edu)-</span></a> Johns Hopkins University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br>
<br>
------------------------------<br>
Bridget Asempapa<br>
Lancaster PA<br>
------------------------------<br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br>
Christine Suniti Bhat (she/her), PhD, LPC, LSC (OH)</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Professor, Department of Counseling & Higher Education</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The Patton College of Education</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">OHIO University, Athens, OH 45701</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Former </span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">President of the American Counseling Association (2024-2025)</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Fellow, American Counseling Association<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Fellow, Association for Specialists in Group Work<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Office: Patton Hall, 432F</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Phone: 740-593-4425; Email:
<a href="mailto:bhatc@ohio.edu"><span style="color:blue">bhatc@ohio.edu</span></a><br>
Website: <a href="https://www.ohio.edu/education/bhatc"><span style="color:blue">https://www.ohio.edu/education/bhatc</span></a><br>
Media: <a href="https://www.ohio.edu/experts/expert/christine-suniti-bhat"><span style="color:blue">https://www.ohio.edu/experts/expert/christine-suniti-bhat</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Note:<i> I may send emails outside typical working hours. Please respond during your workday or when it is most convenient for you to do so.</i></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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