DIGEST-Volume10.4-FULL

21 TPC Digest 21 | TPC Digest Read full article and references: Freeman, B., Woodliff, T., & Martinez, M . (2020). Teaching gatekeeping to doctoral students: A qualitative study of a developmental experiential approach. The Professional Counselor , 10 (4), 562–580. doi :10.15241/bf.10.4.562 To address doctoral instruction in gatekeeping, the authors designed the Developmental Experiential Gatekeeping (DEG) Model and implemented the model in a CES doctoral program in the Western United States. The model has six modules integrated into three courses across three semesters. Each module has an experiential and a reflective component. After the DEG Model was implemented, the authors designed a qualitative study using phenomenological methodology to learn more about the lived experiences of the students who engaged in the DEG modules. The authors wondered about the subjective reactions of the doctoral students and wanted to understand more deeply the journey of doctoral students to capture the essential meanings of the role of gatekeeper. T he authors conducted qualitative interviews with nine doctoral students and analyzed the qualitative data, a process which led to the discovery of four qualitative themes: the importance of gatekeeping, behind the curtain, understandings vary by developmental level, and uneven responses to experiential learning. The themes revealed that doctoral students as a whole highly valued and understood the need for gatekeeping. At the same time, they reported that learning about gatekeeping gave them a glimpse of what happens behind the curtain in CES programs, and this new knowledge was often discomforting. As students reached the end of the DEG modules, their understanding of the complexities and dichotomies of gatekeeping and related processes was much more developed than that of students early in the process. From the participants, we learned that the DEG Model changed their perspectives and enhanced their understandings of gatekeeping. The authors also learned that gatekeeping, while on the surface a relatively straightforward content area, brought about a wide range of emotional responses in students, a finding that points toward the importance of procuring ample instructional time for processing reactions when teaching students to navigate the rough waters of the gatekeeping role. Brenda Freeman, PhD, NCC, LCPC, CPC, is a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. Tricia Woodliff, PhD, NCC, ACS, CPC, is an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. Mona Martinez, PhD, CPC, is Downing Clinic Director at the University of Nevada, Reno. Correspondence may be addressed to Brenda Freeman, William Raggio Building Rm. 3007, University of Nevada, Reno/0281, Reno, NV 89557, brendafreeman@unr.edu.