Preparing Antiracist School Counselors: Lessons for Counselor Educators

• In Event: Advancing Antiracist and Social Justice Practice in School Counseling

Abstract

Preparing pre-service school counselors requires a comprehensive approach to fostering cultural humility. However, too often that has been addressed solely through multicultural counseling courses and competencies (Goodman et al. 2015) and data-driven counseling approaches to prepare counselors to interrupt school systems and practices that actively discriminate against BIPOC (Holcomb-McCoy, 2007). However, the field has fallen short of explicitly demanding the dismantling of the policies and practices that uphold White supremacy ideology and culture in schools and transforming the counselor education programs that prepare counselors for that work. Such an approach is critical in preparing future counselors to work in today’s multiracial and multiethnic schools and society.

There are many approaches to uphold an explicit focus on antiracist education and counseling practices. These include curricular reform, admissions policy change, field placement experiences and the adoption of specific foci on antiracist programming. Based on our experiences leading school counseling programs, we place a heavy emphasis on students actively investigating their own positionality and power in relationships and creating opportunities for self-reflection and critical analysis. This presentation will include examples of how graduate programs can achieve these goals, including a practice called Developing Antiracist White educators. Examples will showcase how graduate programs can equip their White students with skills for effective cross racial dialogue and learning by dedicating space and support for White students to hold each other accountable toward continued growth and capacity to see and act against racism in the counseling profession.

Author

• Mandy Savitz-Romer, Harvard University