Navigating Blackness in Educational Psychology: Reflections of a Trainee Educational Psychologist

Abstract

The voices of racialised individuals in educational psychology are suppressed in the United Kingdom (UK). The experiences of educational psychologists (EPs) from under-represented groups can make a valuable contribution to the assemblage of voices in the profession. This article is a provocation of educational psychology, with the ambition of evoking various feelings for the audience. I take the reader on a personal journey of reconstructing educational psychology through the lens of psychopolitics, critical race theory and postcolonial theory. These theories draw on the structural and psychological effects of colonialism to interrogate present ways of living. Firstly, I draw on my experiences of estrangement whilst completing the educational psychology training course. This consequently led to feeling isolated in navigating my relationship with educational psychology. I call for course tutors to support trainee educational psychologists (TEPs) through the sense-making process of racialisation, which can be an embodied experience and often unspoken. Secondly, I draw on the histories of educational psychology, particularly scientific racism to consider the ongoing “hauntings” of colonialism in practice, which may contribute to some of the feelings of displacement. I invite EPs on this journey with me, to consider their positioning in relation to colonialism and psychology. The implications for educational psychology are considered, including the need to resurrect the relationship between educational psychology and racialisation. I conclude by embracing the term “conscientization”, as a way of mobilising change in the profession. This article is a reflective piece, mindfully written, using less-typical academic journal styles to make it accessible and avoid marginalising others.