Experiences of underrepresented doctoral students in counselor education

Abstract

Purpose – This study aimed to qualitatively examine the perceived cultural competence of counselor education doctoral programs through narratives of 19 racially or ethnically underrepresented students using Critical Race Theory as a theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used a qualitative study of 19 racially or ethnically underrepresented students. Findings – Six major themes were identified: playing the game; individual characteristics and attributes; intersectionality; support; voice; and talk the talk, walk the walk. Research limitations/implications – The limitations of the study included the identity of the primary researcher being a White female in a PhD program during the collection of data. While this was disclosed to the participants, it meant that they made decisions about what or how much to share about their experiences regarding race or doctoral study. The findings are only transferable to the reader’s experiences and interpretation and not generalizable to all counselor education programs. Practical implications – Practical and social implications for counselor education programs are discussed in the paper, including measures to enhance program climate and proactive behaviors that may contribute to student success. Originality/value – The study represents one of few that explore the cultural climate of counselor education programs for underrepresented students.