A Counselor's Guide to the Dissertation Process Where to Start & How to Finish

The journey to becoming a doctor of philosopy (PhD) is life changing.
Although students spend countless hours working through the course work and acquiring knowledge along the way, up to 50% of doctoral students nationwide do not complete their dissertations and become “all but dissertation” (ABD). We have heard countless stories from colleagues who felt that they had not received proper support or guidance when it came time to write the dissertation. We have also found that many of our students often say, “I don’t know where to start,” “I am not sure I can do this,” or “I just can’t seem to sit down and write.” Our motivation to write A Counselor’s Guide to the Dissertation Process: Where to Start and How to Finish stems from our personal passion to help students plan, write, and defend a dissertation. Our aim is to provide step-by-step guidance, make the journey to becoming a PhD smoother, and create an experience that is both rewarding and exciting.

When we formulated our vision for this book, we decided we wanted it to be a resource that spoke to our readers. Although there are several useful and comprehensive books that help guide doctoral students, we found that
many books did not account for the holistic wellness of students during the writing process; report practices that are consistent with American Psychological Association (APA) standards for conceptual, qualitative, or quantitative
works; and include strategies for preparing the completed dissertation for subsequent submission to peer-reviewed journals. Our text includes these components through a lens that is specifically for counselors, counselor
educators, and related professionals. Our style of writing is personal and conversational with its straight talk, and we offer practical advice much like a coach talking to someone one-on-one. To enhance learning, we have provided quotations from previous students, a realm of examples specific to the counseling profession, chapter exercises, and a checklist at the end of each chapter, along with additional resources. Our main hope is that this book will help students complete their dissertations.

Graduate faculty working with student research may also find the content beneficial. Regardless of the topic or discipline, the steps for writing a dissertation are much the same. We aim to address the questions that students routinely ask. Our checklist will help students stay on track and not rush to the next dissertation chapter without including major components.
Chapters 1–3 of the book are dedicated to introducing readers to the doctoral program, providing tips for staying well throughout the dissertation process, selecting committee members, and narrowing down the dissertation topic. In Chapters 4–9 of the book, our focus shifts, and we take the reader through all the major components for the dissertation. In addition, these chapters include tables and activities for writing problem statements and research questions, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting results that align with APA guidelines. The book comes to an end by preparing students for their dissertation defense and discussing how they can disseminate their findings and remain active in the profession.