Date of Award
5-11-2025
Date Published
June 2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Counseling & Human Services
Advisor(s)
Yanhong Liu
Second Advisor
Derek Seward
Keywords
Becoming a Counselor;Black Women;Black Women Counselors;Counselor;Counselor Education;Wounds and Healing
Subject Categories
Education
Abstract
The purpose of this Critical Phenomenological dissertation study was to explore the lived experiences of becoming a counselor for Black women with self-identified personal histories with woundedness and engagement in processes of healing. In doing so, the experiences of becoming a counselor were explored for 11 Black women counselors at various points in their professional counselor identity development journey (e.g., counselors-in-training, practicing counselors, pre- and post-doctoral counselor educators). Data collection followed Seidman’s critical-in-depth interviewing model and the three main areas of Critical Phenomenological inquiry – The Life History, Experiences in Details, and Reflection on Meaning. Three individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. This study uncovered 11 first person individual narrative profiles illuminating the voices and experiences of the Black women counselor participants, along with the identification of collective themes and subthemes. Findings from this study show that racialization, racism, and gendered racism are influential to Black women counselors’ lived experiences, meaning-making of those experiences, and their journeys of becoming counselors. Findings also demonstrated that Black women counselors were motivated by experiences with woundedness and engagement in processes of healing to becoming counselors, and to contribute to change within the profession (i.e., increased representation of Black women and more support for Black women who become counselors). Based upon the study findings, there were implications for counselor education, clinical supervision, counseling practice, advocacy, and for Black Women Counselors themselves. These implications are centered on the need for critical approaches to addressing issues of limited diversity, gendered racism, and other forms of discrimination that impact Black women in their journey of becoming counselors. Recommendations for future research highlighted the importance of critical research methodologies within counseling research, including further critical exploration of the lived experiences of Black women (and other marginalized racial groups) have within the counseling profession, as counselors-in-training, as professional or practicing counselors, as clinical supervisors and supervisees, as doctoral students, as counselor education faculty, and as counseling organization leaders.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Andre, Linzy Sunshine, "Becoming a Counselor: Applying Critical Phenomenology to Uncover Narratives from Black Women Counselors about Wounds and Healing" (2025). Dissertations - ALL. 2088.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/2088
