The Lived Experiences of Black Doctoral Students in CACREP Counselor Education Programs

• In Event: Racial Identity and Healing: Insights From Diverse Experiences in Counseling Education

Abstract

Black doctoral (BD) students represent 25.09% of students that are enrolled in a Council of Accreditation of Related and Educational Programs (CACREP) Counseling Program. BD students continue reporting feelings of isolation, microaggressions, navigating white privilege/fragility, and other negative experiences within counselor education (CE) programs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants in regards to their experiences and perspectives of their program meeting CACREP standard 1:K by making continuous and systematic efforts to create an inclusive learning environment for diverse students. Black Critical Theory (BlackCrit) and Critical Phenomenology were utilized as the theoretical framework and methodology respectively. Four themes emerged from the data and the findings proposed a solution for moving counselor education programs from awareness to action.

Author

• Brittany N. Glover, San Diego State University