A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Master’s Level Students of Color in Counseling Programs

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the training experiences of 12 students of color in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs-accredited master's-level counseling programs using semi-structured phenomenological interviews. The 12 participants identified as Asian American (n = 2), Japanese American (n = 1), Chinese (n = 1), Black (n = 1), African American (n = 1), Latino and/or Hispanic (n = 3), and multiracial (n = 3). We used interpretive phenomenological analysis and identified three main themes: cultural marginalization, biculturalism, and safe or counter-hegemonic relationships. Training implications for counselor education programs are provided.

“Intensely white”: psychology curricula and the (re)production of racism

“…Personal development aspects of courses comprise getting students to reflect on their experiences, and experiences of racism are relevant to personal and professional development (e.g. Varney et al, 2019). Kendra's feelings of discomfort in discussing personal development demonstrate how the lack of representative staff creates another barrier for students of colour.…”

Penerapan Layanan Bimbingan Kelompok dalam Mencegah Penurunan Kualitas Moral Peserta Didik

“…Bimbingan kelompok sebagai suatu proses pemberian bantuan kepada individu melalui suasana kelompok yang memungkinkan individu dapat mengembangkan wawasan dan pemahaman yang diperlukan tentang masalah tertentu, mengeksplorasi dan menentukan alternatif terbaik untuk memecahkan masalah itu dalam mengembangkan pribadinya menurut Gazda (Varney et al, 2019).…”

Understanding the Lived Experiences of Students of Color in Graduate Counseling Education: Implications for Educators and Leaders

“…Hipolito found GCE student of colors' peers, faculty, and external supports (e.g., family, friends, employers, professional networks) promoted their academic success. In addition, there have been a limited number of empirical studies that focused specifically on the experiences of master's-level students of color as compared to doctoral-level counseling students (Henfield et al, 2013;Varney et al, 2019), which supported the rationale for this study to focus on master'slevel students in counseling education in California.…”

“…The study found cisgender women of color students yearned for staff, faculty, and students of color in their doctorate programs and for cisgender women students of color becoming aware of their racial identity (Zeligman et al, 2015). Varney et al (2019) found that master's-level counseling students of color described not feeling safe enough to share about race related topics in the classroom and described the teaching pedagogy as centered on whiteness, which created feelings of isolation.…”

“…This study sought to address a significant gap in the research: the programmatic, systemic, and leadership barriers to enrolling and retaining GCE students of color. The majority of studies have focused on doctoral students (Henfield et al, 2013;Varney et al, 2019) with few studies focused on the master's-level experience, and no studies focused specifically on the experience of students of color in California GCE programs. Varney et al (2019) identified only six studies that focused on master's-level students of color training experiences that addressed their lived experiences.…”