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Orlando Alvarez Ed.D., is a 2026 graduate of the Ed.D. program in Educational and Professional Practice at Antioch University.

Orlando Alvarez smiling at the camera with a blurred outdoor background on a sunny day.

Dissertation Committee:

Emiliano Gonzalez, Ph.D., Committee Chair 

Gary Delanoeye, Ed.D., Committee Member

Robin Bishop, Ed.D., Committee Member

Keywords

Latinx graduate students, higher education, mindfulness, mindfulness-based interventions, transition theory, anxiety, stress, marriage and family therapy program, familismo, motherhood, eldest daughters, emotional regulation, imposter syndrome

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

Latinx graduate students transitioning into their first semester of clinical counseling master’s programs often navigate substantial challenges as they embark on their academic journeys. While transitions into any new role can be difficult, the changes that accompany the beginning of a graduate program have been associated with increased role and identity strain, anxiety, depression, and feelings of fraudulence and imposterism, negatively impacting student success, performance, and attrition rates (Halladay et al., 2019; Murphy, 2021; Vidic & Cherup, 2019). Although mindfulness practices provide benefits for graduate student wellbeing, there is no current scholarship that has examined how mindfulness practices support Latinx students during the transition into a clinical Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) master’s program. Using Schlossberg’s transition theory as the guiding theoretical framework, this qualitative inquiry explored how integrating mindfulness into the curriculum of an existing 16-week introductory course impacted Latinx graduate students’ transitory experiences. This inquiry used a plática-informed qualitative design. Data was gathered through a semi-structured focus group and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reflected three themes and four sub-themes. Theme I centered the motivations of Latinx students’ pursuit of a bilingual clinical master’s degree, emphasizing cultural and familial values and a commitment to serve their communities. Theme II described the difficulties incurred during students’ transitions, highlighting role overwhelm, imposterism, and feelings of self-doubt as key challenges. Theme III described the impact of integrating mindfulness practices into the first-semester curriculum, including how students adapted mindfulness to fit cultural and familial needs, how mindfulness was used as a tool for emotional regulation during their academic transition, how connection and deepening bonds at home were strengthened as a result of these practices, and how it supported students with developing an emerging sense of clinical competence and professional identity. Implications for educators, program administrators, and institutions of higher learning, particularly Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), regarding culturally responsive curriculum design, faculty development, and structures that support Latinx students’ wellbeing, are provided. Limitations and recommendations for future research include scholarship that focuses on participant diversity, additional academic settings, and longitudinal designs that might account for transition experiences beyond the 16-week timeframe, including transitions that occur at different points of their clinical training. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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ORCID No. 0009-0004-6386-8330
 

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