One White Counselor Educator’s Process of Racial Reeducation

Abstract

Counselor educators introduce racial/cultural identity models in order for students to examine their own racial identity and learn the value of identifying the stage of racial/cultural identity development of their clients. While there is an abundance of literature about the multicultural training of White students, there is very little on training experiences of White counselor educators. It is by focusing on the competency training of White counselor educators that we can determine the cultural competence of trainees. I am a White woman that was raised in a racist community in the 1970’s and trained as licensed professional counselor during the 1980’s. Through this article, I describe my journey as a developing counselor and educator: mistakes made, struggles overcome and recent experiences that contribute to my increased effectiveness in classroom, advocacy and social justice activities.