Are Training Programs Addressing Anti-Black Racism and White Supremacy? A Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

Counseling psychology increasingly centers addressing and dismantling anti-Black racism and White supremacy among its values. It is unclear, however, whether training programs are attending to antiracist paradigm shifts. We conducted a study of counseling psychology programs’ attention to antiracism and White supremacy. Students and faculty in counseling psychology programs were asked to complete an online survey. Faculty were also asked to submit multicultural course syllabi. Qualitative results demonstrate that syllabi ( N = 29) generally do not reflect modern antiracist paradigms. Both faculty and student participants ( N = 179) rate their programs as above-average on social justice and antiracism commitments, social justice program norms, and multicultural training, but students ( n = 127) observed greater discrepancies between what their programs claim to do and what their programs actually do; and, faculty ( n = 52) rate their programs more positively than students. There also appeared to be individual-level differences in ethnic-racial identity, such that White students were more critical of Whiteness.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Dismantling Anti-Black Racism and Counseling Psychology

“…As the field of counseling psychology seeks to put into practice its stated commitment to the dismantling and eradication of anti-Black racism (Hargons et al, 2017; O’Leary Wiley, 2021; Pieterse et al, 2023; Singh, 2020), we have been reminded recently that there is still much work to do as we seek to develop a new generation of anti-racist clinicians and scholars (Wilcox, Reid Marks, et. al., 2024).…”

Structural Competencies: Re-Grounding Counseling Psychology in Antiracist and Decolonial Praxis

“…Therapists' lack of attending to sociocultural considerations may result, at least in part, from our current paradigms focusing solely on individual characteristics and, at times, resulting in potentially blaming people of Color through a deficit lens for their mental health conditions. A recent review of the state of counseling psychology training found that most "multicultural" course content is still focused on individual differences (Wilcox et al, 2024). Trainees are not provided with concrete, detailed knowledge of the actual determinants of ill health and suffering for African American and Black people (e.g., historical and contemporary anti-Black policies and practices).…”

“…Despite the promise of the MCC and social justice movements and the more recent advent of the MCO framework, important gaps remain in counseling psychology training. A recent empirical review of syllabi suggests that little has changed in the past two decades in how we prepare counseling psychologists to address systemic and structural oppression (e.g., cf Pieterse et al, 2009;Wilcox et al, 2024). Based on this review and our experiences, the MCO model is rarely integrated into training, and an individual differences-approach continues to prevail.…”

“…As evidenced by the previous critical examination of some foundational and functional competencies (e.g., assessment, vocational psychology, and research), such efforts will require that we re-imagine, re-conceptualize, and re-work every aspect of our training and curriculum (Ali & Sichel, 2014). Despite our long-standing commitment to MCC and social justice, much of our core curriculum still centers the theories and practices of mainstream psychology which perpetuate whiteness and preserve anti-Black racism and colonial mindset and structures (Reynolds, 2022;Wilcox et al, 2024). To rectify these harms and transform our curriculum in meaningful and substantial ways toward Black liberation, we must fully integrate structural competencies into every corner of our education and training, including our didactic courses and our clinical training (e.g., supervision, practica, internships, postdocs).…”

“…Consequently, our prevailing methods for addressing racism and other forms of oppression have conflated "culture" (heritage, who someone is) and "oppression" (avoidable harms from external forces that happen to people). Moreover, most psychology education and training remains oriented toward identity rather than delving into the systemic causes of human suffering (Domínguez & Noriega, 2022;Wilcox, 2023;Wilcox et al, 2024). To truly fulfill the potential of the multicultural movement and effectively combat systemic oppression, including anti-Black racism and its resulting racial trauma (Bryant- Davis, 2007;Pieterse et al, 2023;Utsey et al, 2001;Woods-Jaeger et al, 2023), counseling psychology requires a shift towards new paradigms that more fully embrace the centrality of structure.…”