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Doctoral Dissertation Defense
of
Yun-Zhuo (Zoey) Liu

For the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy
Counselor Education

The Impact of Master-Level Counseling Programs’ Trauma Education on Internship Students’ Perceived Readiness to Work with Trauma-Exposed Clients

May 28, 2026
11 a.m.
Moulton Hall, 202

The Impact of Master-Level Counseling Programs’ Trauma Education on Internship Students’ Perceived Readiness to Work with Trauma-Exposed Clients

The purpose of this study was to examine how different trauma education formats in CACREP-accredited master's counseling programs predict internship students' perceived readiness to work with trauma-exposed clients. Grounded in the New Haven Trauma Competency Model (Cook & Newman, 2014), the study evaluated whether completing a stand-alone trauma course and the degree of trauma content integration throughout the program predicted perceived readiness, measured by the Readiness to Work with Trauma-Exposed Patients Scale (RTEPS; Kazlauskas et al., 2023), while controlling for outside trauma training, clinical experience with trauma-exposed clients, and personal trauma history.

Quantitative results from multiple linear regression models indicated that the degree of trauma content integration throughout the program was the strongest predictor of total RTEPS scores, the Assessment subscale, and the Treatment subscale. Completion of a stand-alone trauma course did not significantly predict perceived readiness on any outcome. Personal trauma history was the only predictor that demonstrated consistent significance across every domain of readiness, including the Assessment, Treatment, and Affect Tolerance subscale.

Collectively, these findings provide the first empirical evidence examining the effectiveness of trauma education formats within CACREP-accredited counseling programs. Results reinforce that trauma education requires program-wide integration rather than isolated coursework, with implications for counselor educators, leaders, clinical supervisors, and researchers seeking to advance trauma-informed counselor preparation.