Date of Award

8-2024

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology

First Advisor

Tangela S. Roberts, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Samuel T. Beasley, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Susan V. Piazza, Ed.D.

Keywords

Broaching, critical whiteness studies, doctoral trainees, janet helms, white racial identity development

Abstract

This research builds upon scholarship of critical theorists and critical whiteness studies. The “invisibility” of whiteness has been increasingly acknowledged and attended to in counseling psychology. Further, prominent scholars have continuously urged the field of counseling psychology to acknowledge race as a psychological characteristic of white people (Helms, 2017; Helms & Carter, 1990a). Attention to whiteness is needed, as the majority of the counseling workforce, including doctoral students (55%), identifies as white (American Psychological Association, 2020). As racial identity development can advance the personal and professional development of white counseling psychologists and benefit clients, increased attention is merited for the training of white counseling psychology doctoral students to understand, examine, and discuss whiteness.

This qualitative study sought to answer two primary research questions: 1) How do white counseling psychology doctoral students’ lived experience of whiteness influence broaching whiteness with white clients (BWWWC)? 2) How does BWWWC cognitively and affectively impact white counseling psychology doctoral students? Results came from data collected from 10 white counseling psychology doctoral students who each completed a demographic survey, an in-depth interview, the White Privilege Attitudes Scale (WPAS), as well as a member checking interview. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) guided the methodology, and six themes emerged from the data. The themes interconnected in many ways, spanning from an awareness of whiteness itself, to reflections on what whiteness means to them personally, to engagement in and cognitive and affective experience of BWWWC. The six themes are: (a) understanding of whiteness, (b) reflection on own whiteness, (c) opinions, attitudes, and affect about BWWWC, (d) category and techniques for BWWWC, (e) managing own whiteness while BWWWC, and (f) post BWWWC experience. The first two themes contextualize participants in their base understanding of whiteness as a construct and how they have come to understand themselves as white racial beings. The remaining four themes center around BWWWC, namely: exploring and describing how participants view, enact, and manage themselves during and after BWWWC. Along with elaborating on important concepts already present in the literature (e.g., importance of broaching, underdevelopment of white trainee’s racial identity), this study captures white counseling psychology doctoral students’ understandings, views, and self-management techniques for their whiteness while BWWWC. Exploring white trainees’ BWWWC experiences was essential, as no communication is communication, and all participants had views, opinions, and ways they soothed themselves when the thought or action of BWWWC came up in session. Greater understanding of the current state of white doctoral trainee’s perceptions and engagement in BWWWC has the potential to extend and deepen counseling psychology training, supervision, research, and practice in this area with the ultimate goal of deconstructing whiteness and moving toward antiracism. Findings and themes are discussed and grounded in a critical whiteness studies framework. Research, training, and practice implications are shared, as well as limitations and strengths.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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