"It depends on the people in the room": Black men's experiences with race-specific training in their graduate courses.

Abstract

Drawing on semistructured interviews with 27 Black men in 23 different APA-accredited counseling psychology doctoral programs, the present study assessed Black men's perceptions of the race-specific multicultural training offered in their program's courses. Findings revealed that one theme connected to the broader climate of the program, which was labeled Salience of Black Men's Identities and Sense of Safety. Two themes were identified pertaining to participants' perceptions of programs' race-specific course content, including (a) integration/infusion of race-specific content; and (b) "it depends on who is in the room." Three themes were identified with regard to participants' perceptions of programs' race-specific training process dynamics, including (a) "it depends on who is in the room," which had three subthemes of racial representation matters, who/what is the responsible agent? and differential engagement in race talk, (b) discussing race but not racism, and (c) questionable genuineness. Overall, participants identified significant inconsistencies with the integration of their race-specific multicultural training via their programs' courses. These findings signal that more intentional and coordinated action is needed in counseling psychology training programs' courses to better prepare students to work with clients and communities of color. Implications for research, training, and practice are highlighted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).