The Intentionality of Confronting Racism, Systemic Oppression, and Cyclical Trauma in Counselor Education: A Self Study

Abstract

Utilizing self-study methodology, the researchers sought to understand their practices in developing school counselors and counselor educators who acknowledge and resist anti-Black racism and marginalization to prevent harm through complacency. Given counselor education’s existence as overwhelmingly white and Eurocentric, the authors investigate disrupting the heteronormative structures inherent in counseling and the academy with the prioritizing of race, systemic inequities, and cyclical trauma in their faculty roles (e.g., teaching, supervising, and service) in efforts to shift a profession slow to address society’s ever-changing mental health needs. The team of counselor educators from different states in the northeast use a thematic analysis to highlight their challenges and successes at each institution, and within the broader counselor education and academic context.

Building cultural empathy and deconstructing Whiteness in counselor education

“…Inherent in all of these recommendations is the need to continually be considering and prioritizing BIPOC student experiences as well as future BIPOC clients/communities. Awareness of how easily Whiteness can be centered within racial dialogues means that instructors must constantly ask themselves which voices are being heard, and whether students who do share personal experiences are receiving meaningful engagement from peers (Ieva et al., 2021; Pulliam et al., 2019; Williams et al., 2021). Additionally, research suggests that positive relationships with BIPOC people and cultural immersion into BIPOC communities can help develop White student cultural competency (Hipolito‐Delgado et al., 2016), yet there is little critique about how White students may impact BIPOC individuals during this process of racial identity growth.…”

Preparing school counselors for social justice group counseling: Examining, power, privilege, and intersectionality

“…Specifically, “this apology focuses on acknowledging the roles of psychology and APA in promoting, perpetuating, and failing to challenge racism, and the harms that have been inflicted on communities of color as a result” (APA, 2021). Although many scholars have asked for the same in the field of counseling (Ieva et al., 2021b; Gonzalez & Cokley, 2021; Singh et al., 2020), and specifically working to dismantle white supremacy in counseling (Williams et al., 2021; Malott & Paone, 2011), the profession has not heeded the call. In fact, the flagship accrediting body, namely CACREP, has not kept up with these demands to provide guidance on integrating explicit standards on race and the dismantling of racism within the curriculum (Gonzalez & Cokley, 2021).…”

“…It is important to note that counselor education as a profession also operates and educates in higher educational structures that are steeped with systemic racism (Barber et al., 2020) and known to oppress and harm Black and Brown scholars (undergraduate through graduate students; #BlackintheIvory). Counselor education operates “white heavy” in an already oppressive system (higher education) potentially perpetuating oppression, antiblackness, and white supremacy in practice (Williams et al., 2021; Ieva et al., 2021b) and through research (Steen & Prasath, current issue; Washington et al., 2022) (see Figure 1). A closer examination of textbooks, pedagogy, curricula, theories, techniques, and university structures reveal a perpetuation of Eurocentric norms that were not developed with today's society in mind and illuminated by many counselor educator scholars whom have argued for more critical, antiracist, and intersectional approaches, specifically related to counseling theories (Ieva et al., 2021b; Harris et al., 2021; Singh et al., 2020; Williams et al., 2021) and group counseling (Ieva et al., 2021a).…”

“…When collaborations afford SC practitioners to serve as adjuncts, they may be disconnected from the rest of the faculty. Further, there is a parallel process for school counselor educators who also hold dual identities and are marginalized in counselor education as they attempt to remove barriers and/or dismantle systems, modeling for preservice SCs who in turn are marginalized and working to remove barriers and dismantle racist policies in the P‐12 school system (Ieva et al., 2021b). Therefore, with counselor education operating as an oppressive system, upholding whiteness through curricula delivery and supervision, and lacking the changes necessary to meet today's needs, this study aims to challenge the perpetuation of white supremacy and the potential harm of future clients, particularly in group counseling in school settings (see Figure 1 influences of the potential cycle of harm in school counselor education ) .…”

Are We in This Alone? Examining the Cost of Health & Wellness by Surviving the Neoliberal Academy for Multiple Minoritized Faculty

“…Minoritized doctoral students in graduate programs report some of the barriers they navigate, including an inherently biased curriculum, preconceived assumptions about performance, toxic institutional cultures, blatant disregard, and intellectual co-opting by white peers and faculty members, all while experiencing extreme physical and social isolation (Gay, 2004). Further, as doctoral students work closely with professors, especially those with multiple minoritized identities, they witness firsthand the cyclic trauma many of these faculty members face in the neoliberal academy (Ieva et al, 2021).…”