Power Within the Counselor Identity Development of African American Women in Pastoral Counseling

Abstract

This study explored experiences of power among 11 African American female pastoral counselors‐in‐training. Limited research exists within the field of pastoral counseling regarding the dynamics of power within the development of minority counselors‐in‐training. Experiences of power such as microaggressions and empowerment were evidenced in the art created by participants during their qualitative interviews. Use of a heuristic arts‐based research design resulted in 6 final essences (major themes): symbolic analysis of the journey of identity development, empowerment, powerlessness, ownership of power, integration, and pervasive spirituality. Practical implications for counselor educators and pastoral counseling programs are provided.

Lessons from professional identity development literature: A qualitative content analysis

“…Two significant codes were observed at the 50% frequency level including the concept of obtained self‐validation and autonomy as observed in the following study: “A few participants…chose to keep their personal identity separate from their professional identity, even though they considered their spiritual identity to be integrated…” (Jangha et al., 2018, p. 84).…”

“…The most frequently observed outcome factors were the recognition of responsibility to communities and influence in society and finding congruence between professional roles and personal values both at a rate of 67.65%. The first code, responsibility to communities, articulates the weight of the counselor role within communities and society as observed in the following excerpt: “Participants’ descriptions of their journeys highlighted an ownership of power, meaning that they were able to define power for themselves and determine whether to use it in class or supervision” (Jangha et al., 2018, p. 81). Counselors’ integration of their personal values and professional roles is captured by the following participant experience:

Expert counselors reached a level of congruency with their professional and personal selves.

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“…As the counseling profession has continued to develop in the last 10 years, researchers have taken increased interest in the identity development processes involved in areas that professional counselors elect into, such as engaging in research (Jorgensen & Duncan, 2015; Lamar & Helm, 2017; Reisetter et al., 2004), social justice and advocacy (Cook et al., 2016; Dollarhide et al., 2016; Hoover & Morrow, 2016; Swartz et al., 2018), leadership (Meany‐Walen et al., 2013; Peters & Vereen, 2020; Storlie et al., 2015; Woo et al., 2016), and working as counselor educators (Carrillo & Rubel, 2019; Gibson et al., 2015; Woo et al., 2016). In regard to the nonelective identity‐based processes, a small body of literature focused on how race impacts the professional identity development of professional counselors (Jangha et al., 2018; Nelson & Jackson, 2003). These studies have found that counselors who identify in minoritized groups have unique experiences within the professional counselor identity development process, which is suggestive that exploring racial and ethnic identity more thoroughly, as well as other nonelective identities (e.g., gender, sexuality, ability, socioeconomic status, etc.…”

‘The Relentless Nature of Whiteness’: Black Psychologists' Experiences of Racial Microaggressions in Cross‐Cultural Supervision

“…Qualitative research and reflective accounts explored Black and ethno‐racial minorities experiences of cross‐cultural supervision in North America, examining experiences of supervisees undertaking training or qualified supervisors in psychological and counselling professions. Black clinicians reported various experiences of microaggressions including stereotyping themselves or their clients, pathologising cultural values and communication styles, invalidation of concerns and ethno‐racial identity, culturally insensitive treatment recommendations and querying professional competence (Constantine and Sue 2007; Hall 2018; Jangha, Magyar‐Russell, and O'Grady 2018). Consequently, clinicians experienced numerous negative emotional and psychological outcomes such as mistrust of the supervisor, unsatisfactory supervision, missed learning opportunities and relationship rupture (Constantine and Sue 2007; Jendrusina and Martinez 2019; Remaker et al.…”