Degree Date

7-2026

Document Type

Dissertation - NLU Access

Degree Name

M.S. Master of Science

Academic Discipline

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Emese Vitalis

Second Advisor

Dr. Vara Saripalli

Third Advisor

Dr. Sandra Zakowski

Abstract

Graduate students are vulnerable to depression, anxiety, and other mental and physical health conditions. The aim of the study was to add to the limited body of research on barriers to Psy.D. students seeking psychotherapy. One hundred fifteen Psy.D. students completed an online survey assessing psychotherapy use, perceived importance of personal psychotherapy for professional development, barriers to seeking it, and help-seeking intent using the Intentions to Seek Counseling Inventory (ISCI). Results indicated that the importance of personal psychotherapy for professional development was positively correlated with intent to seek psychotherapy. There was also a positive relation between intent to seek psychotherapy and discouragement or hopelessness. A binomial logistic regression revealed that age was negatively associated with intent to seek psychotherapy, after controlling for gender. Qualitative analyses identified financial constraints, lack of time, and mental health factors (e.g., low levels of motivation, exhaustion) as the most important barriers to seeking psychotherapy. Analyses also revealed resources participants perceived as necessary to address barriers, including programmatic resources (e.g., lists, directories, or databases of recommended psychotherapy providers offered by Psy.D. programs/schools), lower cost or quality insurance coverage, financial support through graduate programs, more time, fewer privacy concerns, and greater access to information about psychotherapy and therapists in general. Collectively, the findings support systemic efforts to normalize and reduce barriers to psychotherapy within doctoral training environments.

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