Date of Award

1-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School

College of Education and Human Services

Department/Program

Counseling

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Amanda L. Baden

Committee Member

Angela I. Sheely-Moore

Committee Member

Leslie Kooyman

Abstract

Research related to the professional counselor’s development of an antiracist counseling identity is scarce. The goal of this dissertation study was to explore White mental health counselors’ unique personal and professional experiences that facilitate the development of an antiracist counseling identity and the impact of an antiracist counseling identity on practice. Using Critical Race Theory (Crenshaw et al., 1995; Haskins & Singh, 2015) and multicultural and social justice theory (Ratts, 2011; Ratts et al. 2015; Sue & Sue, 1999), this constructivist grounded theory study sought to answer the following questions: (a) How do White counselors develop an antiracist counseling identity?, and (b) How does an antiracist counseling identity affect counseling practice? 12 White mental health counselors who self-identify as antiracist counselors and who demonstrate antiracism expertise and an ongoing commitment to antiracism work participated in this study. Data were collected via two semistructured interviews and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory procedures. Findings suggest that White mental health counselors’ antiracist counseling identity development is a multifaceted lifelong developmental process that manifests as personal and professional antiracist actions including a proposed model of antiracist counseling practices. Implications for counseling theory and practice, counselor education and supervision, and future research have been provided.

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