Future counselors’ voices: A qualitative investigation of microaggression training

Abstract

The present study is a qualitative investigation of the voices of counseling graduate trainees (n = 76) in response to a multicultural competence training on racial microaggressions. The didactic and experiential training included readings, lecture, videos, large and small group discussions, and skills practice sessions. Upon completion of the training, trainees in individual and group counseling skills classes responded to open-ended questions in journals. These journals were subsequently analyzed using consensual qualitative research-modified, and responses were examined according to race/ethnicity (i.e., trainees of color vs. White trainees). Four primary domains emerged from the analysis: difficult, most and least helpful aspects of training, and racial-cultural identity influences on training. Recommendations for future training are presented, along with salient patterns that emerged from the voices of trainees of color and White trainees.