Training Counseling Psychologists as Social Justice Agents

TLDR

Counseling psychology has been urged to adopt social justice work, yet little has been said about its practical form. The article derives feminist and multicultural principles for counseling psychologists engaging in social justice work. The authors outline six core principles—self‑examination, power sharing, voice giving, consciousness raising, strength building, and client empowerment—and describe a Boston College curriculum program to embed these principles. Implementation of the principles influenced students’ practice, revealed ethical dilemmas, and highlighted professional obstacles, for which the authors propose coping recommendations.

Abstract

Despite recent calls for counseling psychology to embrace social justice-oriented work, there has been little discussion about what such work actually looks like. The first part of this article derives a set of principles from feminist and multicultural counseling theories that counseling psychologists should consider as they engage in social justice work. These include (a) ongoing self-examination,(b) sharing power, (c) giving voice, (d) facilitating consciousness raising, (e) building on strengths, and(f) leaving clients the tools to work toward social change. The second part of the article describes a program designed to integrate social justice work into the core curriculum of the Boston College doctoral program. The authors discuss ways in which the above principles have shaped students; activities, and some of the ethical dilemmas that have emerged. Finally, the article under-scores professional obstacles that counseling psychologists doing social justice work are likely to face, and offers recommendations for overcoming them.