Empathic Imagination Research Lab

My research centers on lived experience, relational process, and the conditions that allow people to feel more fully human within systems that often constrain them. With a strong foundation in qualitative methodologies, including phenomenology, interpretive and arts-based approaches, and relational inquiry, I am particularly interested in how individuals make meaning during transitions, encounters with marginalization, acts of creativity, and the development of professional identities within the framework of counseling education. 

I approach research as an ethical encounter rather than simply extracting neutral data. Interviews, journals, images, and reflective dialogue serve as relational spaces that honor participants’ voices, contexts, and embodied knowledge, fostering empathic imagination. Throughout my projects, I aim to elevate narratives that might otherwise be overlooked by dominant frameworks and translate these insights into practical implications for counseling education, supervision, and advocacy. 

At the same time, I value methodological pluralism and collaborative scholarship. I employ mixed methods designs when they foster a more comprehensive understanding of complex phenomena, integrating quantitative indicators with qualitative depth to examine patterns alongside lived meaning. Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams allows diverse epistemologies to enhance rigor and creativity.

In these collaborative environments, I contribute my expertise in qualitative design, conceptual framing, and theory integration while learning from colleagues adept in statistics, measurement, or implementation science. My overarching goal is to produce research that is methodologically sound, relationally attuned, and actionable—work that not only enriches scholarly conversations but also supports counselors, educators, and communities in tangible ways.