Institute for Counseling Research

A hub for creation, production, and dissemination of research.

The Institute for Counseling Research (ICR) focuses on research surrounding counseling practice, outcomes, training, and supervision at Purdue University Fort Wayne. As an extension of ongoing faculty research efforts, the ICR serves as a formal research program with mission and vision statements, internal policies and procedures, leadership structures, and metrics for research productivity and community impact.

The counselor education program currently runs a fully functioning community counseling center with weekly, student-led counseling sessions conducted under direct faculty supervision. We facilitate counseling sessions with members of the Fort Wayne community, engage in direct clinical supervision with students on a weekly basis, and are in a continuous process of training our graduate students. Our program leverages this resource for data collection purposes, and the ICR supports the organization and coordination of research across the areas of counseling practice, outcomes, training, and supervision.

Mission

To advance evidence-based knowledge of community counseling practice, clinical supervision, and counselor training.  

Vision

To become a nationally recognized leader in the production of counseling research.  

Leadership Structure

The ICR activities are coordinated by the ICR director, with each core annual project overseen by a core faculty member or ICR supervisor. Counselor education graduate students may apply as volunteer ICR team members, taking an active role in not only data collection and data entry but also project development, community outreach efforts, and academic publication processes. 

Community Outreach

The ICR is committed to working with community agencies on research projects that can enhance the efficacy of mental health treatment in Fort Wayne. If your agency is interested in collaborating on a study, please contact Brett Wilkinson, ICR director, at [email protected] or 260-481-6528 for additional information.

Structure of Studies

The ICR seeks to conduct up to four research projects each academic year that can be completed within that annual time frame. Each individual project is coordinated by the ICR director but overseen by a different core faculty member or ICR supervisor. The annual projects involve studies related to the core inquiry areas of clinical outcomes, clinical practices, supervision, and pedagogy. Therefore, the core research agenda of the ICR is to develop and conduct one of each of the following studies on an annual basis: 

• Clinical outcomes
• Clinical practices
• Supervision
• Pedagogical