Graduate Student Resource Center

National Fellowship Awarded Counseling Psychology Student

Cleveland State University doctoral student, Basak Khamush-Kacar, received the prestigious Donald E. Super Fellowship Award from the American Psychological Association Division 17: Society of Counseling Psychology. Fellowship awards recognize and support outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based degrees.  Khamush-Kacar is a student of Cleveland State’s American Psychological Association (APA) accredited counseling psychology doctoral program in the College of Education and Human Services.  She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree in Psychological Counseling and Guidance in Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Accepting the award for her dissertation study on Identity and Career Experiences of Muslim Immigrant Women, Khamush-Kacar commented, “The award is certainly very important for me in becoming aware of the significance of this study and it definitely added to my enthusiasm to continue my endeavors. It came at a time in when I was planning to focus more on my work and, because it is a national award, it will be very important in my future career that my work has been recognized in this way.”

Selected from a highly competitive group of nominees, Khamush-Kacar was chosen based on the quality of her dissertation proposal and its potential for advancing knowledge in the area of career development.  Counseling Psychology Professor and dissertation chair, Dr. Donna Schultheiss, commented, “Ms. Kacar-Khamush's contributions to work and family research enriches our understanding of how immigrants from not only similar - but also diverse cultural contexts - manage the demands, responsibilities, and rewards of work and family life. This is a significant contribution given that existing theory and research on work and family integration have afforded minimal consideration of individual differences, cultural norms and values.”

The Society of Counseling Psychology, Division 17 of the American Psychological Association announced the fellowship award, along with a cash award, at the 2015 APA Convention held on August 6-9 in Toronto, Ontario.  The APA Annual Convention features more than 1,000 sessions covering the entire field of psychology. 

The APA is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 122,500 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members. The Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP), Division 17 of the American Psychological Association (APA) was founded in 1946 to promote personal, educational, vocational, and group adjustment in a variety of settings.