Minoritized Professionals' Experiences in Counselor Education: A Review of Research

Abstract

Findings from our review of research articles published between 2004 and 2019 indicated students and faculty in counselor education who identify as women; as people of color; or as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning face eight common types of adverse experiences. Implications for praxis and research are provided to support the profession's aim to diversify and embody inclusion.

Marginalized Counselor Educators' Experiences Negotiating Identity: A Narrative Inquiry

“…Environmental factors created climates that were more or less amenable to authentic expression of self. This complements previous findings regarding how contextual factors such as lack of representation, tokenization, and microaggressions contributed to feelings of isolation, disconnection, and invisibility that prompted identity suppression (Thacker & Barrio Minton, 2021).…”

“…Criteria for participation included earning a doctoral degree in counselor education within the past 3 years; being employed in a program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; and experiencing marginalization on the basis of self-identification as a woman, person of color, and/or LGBTQ+ person. The criteria were shaped by developmental norms outlined in the TTM for counselor educators (Gibson et al, 2015) and by previous literature documenting marginalization among these three demographic groups (Thacker & Barrio Minton, 2021). A request for participation was emailed via professional electronic mailing lists targeted at CEs from diverse backgrounds (i.e., CESNET-L, DIVERSEGRAD-L, and ALGBTIC-L) and included a screening and demographic form.…”

“…These groups have reported experiencing adversity related to their personal identities (e.g., microaggressions, tokenism, lack of support or mentorship, invisibility) in their counseling roles. Personal expressions, such as the way one dresses, speaks, or interacts with others, or simply the presence of minoritized attributes (e.g., Black and Brown people, femininity, LGBTQ+ status) can precipitate these adverse experiences (Thacker & Barrio Minton, 2021). Consequently, those with marginalized identities may struggle to authentically bring their personal attributes into their professional praxis, which hinders diversification of the profession.…”

“…Advancement of the profession is reliant on diverse CEs promoting a collective professional identity and nurturing the development of future counselors (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011). Previous research has extensively outlined adverse experiences that marginalize diverse professionals and inhibit such advancement (Thacker & Barrio Minton, 2021). However, there is limited knowledge of how identity negotiation is at play as marginalized CEs engage in PID.…”

Latinx and Asian trainees counseling White clients: An interpretative phenomenology

“…These differences are evident by numerous studies conducted over the last 20 years regarding the marginalizing interactions and emotional challenges students of color experience in counselor education (Baker et al., 2015; Brown & Grothaus, 2019; Henfield et al., 2013; Zeligman et al., 2015). Recently, Thacker and Barrio Minton (2021) conducted a systematic literature review to examine research articles related to minoritized professionals’ experiences in counselor education. In the 27 articles explored, the researchers found that minoritized students often experienced microaggressions such as stereotyping, tokenism, erasure, and heightened challenges associated with students’ intersecting marginalized identities.…”