Representation of Race and Ethnicity in Counseling and Counseling Psychology Journals

Abstract

Literature reviews have concluded that People of Color are underrepresented in psychological literature; however, the fields of counseling and counseling psychology have taken a clear affirmative stance with respect to human diversity. This study sought to evaluate the representation of People of Color in four key journals across the 2000–2019 timespan: The Counseling Psychologist, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Counseling & Development, and Counselling Psychology Quarterly. Journal articles were coded for variables including focus on racial/ethnic minority (REM) groups and article content topics. Results indicated that 26.3% of the articles were coded as REM-focused (3.8% focused on African Americans, 4.1% on Asian Americans, 3.1% on Latinxs, and 0.7% on Native Americans). The need for additional research is especially notable in the case of Latinxs (the least represented REM group relative to United States Census estimates) and for several multicultural topics that remain underrepresented in the literature.