Abstract
<p>A phenomenological research design was utilized to illuminate the experiences of counselor education doctoral students who had voluntarily departed from study and successfully returned. No studies exist in the counselor education literature examining this phenomenon. Themes derived from the data suggest a common experience across participants, including the salient nature of leaving and returning to study, the importance of faculty-student interactions, and that departure is informed by personal factors and academic culture. The findings have implications for student retention and attrition, as well as counseling departments, counseling faculty, and counselor education doctoral students.</p>
