Possibilities and limitations of anti-racist training within a counselling programme

Matthew Whitney; Gillian Proctor; Divine Charura; Thomas Denyer; Katrina Wade

doi:10.24135/ppi.v22i1.05

Matthew Whitney https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4263-1612
Gillian Proctor University of Leeds https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7748-5451
Divine Charura https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3509-9392
Tom Denyer https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9825-724X
Kat Wade https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4621-3602

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24135/ppi.v22i1.05

Keywords: anti-racism, decolonisation, psychotherapy training, radical spaces

Abstract

This research presents a thematic analysis from the participants of a specific anti-racism session within counselling education in a university setting. The research team were a self-chosen subset of the participants, and the themes came from reflections of the participants at the start and end of the session. The three main themes are: defensiveness, openness, and engagement, and each also had sub-themes. These themes are discussed and recommendations for future anti-racism education are elucidated.

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Author Biographies

Matthew Whitney

M is a white British man in his late 30s. He works as a psychotherapist in private practice. He has a particular interest in the psychosocial and the pathologising of distress.

Gillian Proctor, University of Leeds

Gillian is a white British woman in her 50’s. She has been a lecturer in counselling education for seven years, having previously worked in practice in the NHS for 22 years. She has a particular interest in issues of ethics, politics and power and is passionate about the importance of the socio-political context of all our lives, in particular the therapy relationship.

Divine Charura

Divine is a black British man of African heritage in his 40’s. He has been an academic in British universities for over 10 years and also works in a range of clinical contexts as a practitioner psychologist and psychotherapist. He has particular interest in issues of diversity, difference, and the impact of trauma across the lifespan.

Tom Denyer

Tom is a white British man in his late 20s. He is a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor who is currently completing his master’s degree. He currently works as a psychotherapist with a third sector organization that offers long term counselling to individuals from a low socio-economic area.

Kat Wade

Kat is a black, mixed-heritage British person. She has recently completed her master’s degree in psychotherapy and counselling and currently works as a counsellor for children and young people in a third sector organisation. K is passionate about the impact of racial trauma on identity and wellbeing, a topic upon which their master’s thesis is based.