Dawn Szymanski
Abstracts of Recent Publications
Research Interests
My research interests are primarily in the areas of: (a) feminist therapy and supervision; (b) lesbian, gay, and bisexual issues; (c) multicultural counseling; (d) psychology of men and masculinity; and (e) research training.
Research statement
My overall program of research could be defined as applications of Feminist Therapy Theory to assessment, counseling, supervision, and mental health. Feminist Theory posits that the personal is political, which means that personal difficulties are connected to the political, cultural, social, and economic climate in which people live and that many of the problems experienced by persons with limited power in society can be conceptualized as reactions to oppression. This principle encourages psychologists to attend to the external/socio-cultural factors, such as sexism, heterosexism, and racism which contribute to an individual’s psychological distress, as well as the ways that clients may have internalized negative and limiting attitudes about being a member of a minority group. In addition, Feminist Theory emphasizes the importance of understanding how multiple oppressions and traditional gender role socialization influence psychological well-being. Thus, my research focuses primarily on examining the ways that external and internalized oppressions (e.g., sexism, heterosexism, racism) and traditional gender role socialization impact mental health.
Selected Publications
Ancis, J. R., Szymanski, D. M., & Ladany, N. (2008). Development and psychometric evaluation of the Counseling Women Competencies Scale (CWCS). The Counseling Psychologist, 36, 719-744.
Szymanski, D. M., Kashubeck-West, S., & Meyer, J.* (2008). Internalized heterosexism: A historical and theoretical overview. (Major Contribution). The Counseling Psychologist, 36, 510-524.
Szymanski, D. M., Kashubeck-West, S., & Meyer, J.* (2008). Internalized heterosexism: Measurement, psychosocial correlates, and research directions. (Major Contribution). The Counseling Psychologist, 36, 525-574.
Szymanski, D. M., & Kashubeck-West, S. (2008). Mediators of the relationship between internalized oppressions and lesbian and bisexual women’s psychological distress. (Major Contribution). The Counseling Psychologist, 36, 575-594.
Kashubeck-West, S. & Szymanski, D. M. (2008). Risky sexual behavior in gay and bisexual men: Internalized heterosexism, sensation seeking, and substance use. (Major Contribution). The Counseling Psychologist, 36, 595-614.
Kashubeck-West, S., Szymanski, D. M., & Meyer, J.* (2008). Internalized heterosexism: Clinical implications and training considerations. (Major Contribution). The Counseling Psychologist, 36, 615-630.
Szymanski, D. M., & Meyer, D.* (2008). Racism and heterosexism as correlates of psychological distress in African American sexual minority women. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 2( 2), 94-108.
Szymanski, D. M., & Owens, G. P. (2008). Do coping styles moderate or mediate the relationship between internalized heterosexism and sexual minority women’s psychological distress? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32, 95-104.
Szymanski, D. M., & Carr, E. R.* (2008). The roles of gender role conflict and internalized heterosexism in gay and bisexual men’s psychological distress: Testing two mediation models (Featured Contribution). Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 9, 40-54.
Szymanski, D. M., & Kashubeck-West, S. (2008). Rejoinder and an update: Recent advances in correlates of internalized heterosexism (Major Contribution). The Counseling Psychologist, 36, 654-659.
Szymanski, D. M. (2008). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered clients. In G. Mcauliffe (Ed.), Culturally alert counseling: A comprehensive introduction. (pp. 466- 505). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Szymanski, D. M. (2008). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered clients. In G. Mcauliffe (Ed.), Culturally alert counseling: A comprehensive introduction. (pp. 466- 505). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Szymanski, D. M., Ozegovic, J. J., Phillips, J. C, & Briggs-Phillips, M. (2007). Fostering scholarly productivity through academic and internship research training environments.Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2, 135-146.
Baird, M. K., Szymanski, D. M., & Ruebelt, S. G. (2007). Feminist identity development
and practice among male therapists. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 8, 67-78.
Szymanski, D. M., & Henning, S. L. (2007). The role of self-objectification in women’s depression: A test of Objectification Theory. Sex Roles, 56, 45-53.
Chung, Y. B., Szymanski, D. M., & Amadio, D. M. (2006). Empirical validation of a multidimensional model for assessing sexual orientation. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 1(3),3-13 .
Chung, Y. B., & Szymanski, D. M. (2006). Racialand sexual identities of Asian American gay men. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 1(2), 67-93.
Szymanski, D. M. (2006). Does internalized heterosexism moderate the link between heterosexist events and lesbians’ psychological distress? Sex Roles, 54, 227-234.
Szymanski, D. M. (2005). Feminist identity and theories as correlates of feminist supervision practices. The Counseling Psychologist, 33,729-747.
Balsam, K. F., & Szymanski, D. M. (2005). Relationship quality and domestic violence in women's same-sex relationships: The role of minority stress. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29,258-269.
Szymanski, D. M. (2005). Heterosexism and sexism as correlates of psychological distress in lesbians. Journal of Counseling & Development, 83, 355- 360.
Szymanski, D. M. (2005). A feminist approach to working with internalized heterosexism in lesbians. Journal of College Counseling, 8, 74-85.
Pope, M., Barret, B., Szymanski, D. M., Chung, Y. B., Singaravelu, H., McLean, R., & Sanabria, S. (2004). Culturally appropriate career counseling with gay and lesbian clients. Career Development Quarterly.
Szymanski, D. M. (2004). Relations among dimensions of feminism and internalized heterosexism in lesbians and bisexual women. Sex Roles, 51(3/4), 145-159.
Pope, M., Bunch, L. K., Szymanski, D. M., & Rankins, M. (2004). Counseling sexual minority students in the schools. In B.T. Erford (Ed.), Professional school counseling: A handbook of theories, programs, and practices (pp. 699- 717). Tucson, AZ: CAPS Press.
Phillips, J. C., Szymanski, D. M., Ozegovic, J. J., & Briggs, M. (2004). Preliminary examination and measurement of the internship research training environment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 240-248.
Szymanski, D. M. (2003). The Feminist Supervision Scale (FSS): A rational/theoretical approach. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27, 221-232.
Szymanski, D. M., & Chung, Y. B. (2003). Feminist attitudes and coping resources as correlates of lesbian internalized heterosexism. Feminism & Psychology, 13, 369-389.
Szymanski, D. M., & Chung, Y. B. (2003). Internalized homophobia in lesbians. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 7(1), 115-125.
Szymanski, D. M., Baird, M. K., & Kornman, C. L. (2002). The feminist male therapist: Attitudes and practices for the 21st century. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 3, 22-27.
Ozegovic, J. J., Bikos, L. H., & Szymanski, D. M. (2001). Trends and predictors of alcohol use among undergraduate female students. Journal of College Student Development, 42, 447-455.
Szymanski, D. M., Chung, Y. B., & Balsam, K. F. (2001). Psychosocial correlates of internalized homophobia in lesbians. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 34(1), 27-38.
Ancis, J. R., & Szymanski, D. M. (2001). Awareness of white privilege among white counseling trainees. (Major Contribution). The Counseling Psychologist, 29, 548-569.
Szymanski, D. M., & Chung, Y. B. (2001). The Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale: A rational/theoretical approach. Journal of Homosexuality, 41(2), 37-52
Brown, A. B., Byrd, D. C., Christie, J., Clemens, K., Gfroerer, C. A., Ledbetter, L. L., Riggs, J. L., Szymanski, D. M., & Vinson, A. E. (2000). Stimulus statements. In Y. B. Chung, L. L. Ledbetter, & J. L. Riggs (Eds.), A practice handbook for interpersonal skills training in counseling (pp. 5-88). North Chelmsford, MA: Erudition Books.
Dawn Szymanski
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Georgia State University (2001)
Email: dszymans@utk.edu
Key words: Counseling psychology; feminist therapy; lesbian, gay, and bisexual issues; multicultural counseling