Bend Don't Break: Navigating the Tensions of Counselor Education as a Graduate Student of Color

• In Event: 44.085 - Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: 44.085-5 - Contemporary Training Issues Faced by Counseling Students and Programs

Abstract

Limited research exists on the experiences of graduate students of color enrolled in counselor training programs. As such, Counselor Educators and counseling programs are ill equipped to respond to the unique needs of students of color. An illustrative case study was conducted with 18 graduate counseling students of color in order to explore strategies for successful completion of their graduate program. Participants described three tensions, factors that acted as supports and barriers, that they experienced as graduate students of color: family, faculty, and program structures. Further, participants described how they successfully navigated these tensions. Implications for supporting students of color in Counselor Education programs include more thoroughly incorporation of diversity issues in programs and the need for student support networks.

Author

• Carlos Porfirio Hipolito-Delgado, University of Colorado - Denver