Counseling Research, Assessment, and Practice Lab
Welcome to the Department of Counseling’s Counseling Research, Assessment, and Practice Lab (CRAPL). The purpose of CRAPL for the Department of Counseling is to provide a structure for active research, data collection through assessments, and providing specialized clinical training opportunities for our students.
Goals
CRAPL’s goals align with the Tarleton Forward Strategic Plan as we develop a longer-term growth initiative in the Department of Counseling.
Goal 1: Student Opportunity and Success.
Objective 1a. Engage students in real life clinical practice to further student success.
Objective 1b. Involve students in scholarly activities lead by faculty mentors.
Goals 2: Academic Distinction
Objective 2a. Move students from theory to praxis by providing a learning environment with in vivo clinical practice experiences.
Objective 2b. Expose students to specialized clinical training to better prepare them for post-graduate professional licensure.
Objective 2c. Support a future PhD program in counseling for faculty and doctoral student research.
Goal 3: Global, Community, and First-Gen Initiatives
Objective 3a. Provide counseling services to varied populations in educational environments.
Objective 3b. Address the paucity of published research with children and adolescents from diverse populations.
Objective 3c. Attract diverse students to the Tarleton CMHC program.
Goal 4: Research, Innovation, Economic Impact
Objective 4a. Create an institute for future research projects to create lasting partnerships with communities and schools.
Objective 4b. Raise awareness of the Tarleton CMHC program in local communities.
Objective 4c. Stabilize the role of Tarleton faculty and student service to the community.
Objective 4d. Train and graduate well-trained mental health providers in health professional shortages areas (HPSA) for medically underserved areas/populations (MUA/P), such as Tarrant and McLennan counties.
Goal 5: Institutional Prominence
Objective 5a. Position CRAPL to apply for extramural funding on an ongoing basis.
Objective 5b. Raise the scholarship profile of faculty members in the Department of Counseling by publishing and disseminating research findings to a national scientific and academic audience.
Current Projects
We have a number of research projects managed by CRAPL during Academic Year 2021-2022. All of these projects involve student interns and provide them with advanced clinical training:
- Effects of child-centered play therapy on trauma and academic achievement in elementary school students (Dr. PJ Blanco, Primary Investigator, with research assistance from Drs. Ryan D. Foster, Christopher Wilder, Beck Munsey, and LaShondra Manning)
- Effects of humanistic sandtray therapy on trauma, externalizing behavior, and internalizing behavor in middle school students (Dr. Ryan D. Foster, Primary Investigator, with research assistance from Drs. PJ Blanco, Beck Munsey, and LaShondra Manning)
- Effects of humanistic sandtray therapy on trauma in college students (Dr. Ryan D. Foster, Primary Investigator, with research assistance from Drs. Christopher Wilder, PJ Blanco, and Beck Munsey)
For more information, contact:
Dr. Ryan D. Foster, PhD, LPC-S, CHST
Associate Professor and Director, Counseling Research, Assessment, and Practice Lab