Effective Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Students of Color in CES Programs

Conference Strand

Social Change, Leadership, and Advocacy

Abstract

Systemic racism thwarts people of color (POC) utilization of mental health care. Considering the projected growth of POC in society, it is necessary to address the barriers (e.g., inability to locate providers from their cultural groups) POC face. Centering the profession’s aims around social justice, equity, and the recently published CACREP standards to intentionally recruit and retain minority students, this presentation will 1) highlight the importance of diversification in the profession to enable health equity and 2) discuss evidence-based strategies counselor educators can employ to recruit and retain marginalized students systemically.

Description

The perils of systemic racism (Furtado et al., 2023) thwart people of color (POC) from accessing and utilizing quality mental health care (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2021). Considering the projected growth of POC in society (Colby & Ortman, 2014), it is necessary to ensure the barriers (e.g., lack of insurance, culturally relevant care, stigma, and inability to locate providers from their cultural groups) POC face are addressed.

The American Counselors Association (ACA) has highlighted the following standard (F.11.b) around student diversity: “Counselor educators actively attempt to recruit and retain a diverse student body. Counselor educators demonstrate commitment to multicultural/diversity competence by recognizing and valuing the diverse cultures and types of abilities that students bring to the training experience” (p.15).

Moreover, the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) and the recently adopted CACREP Accreditation Standards (2024) call for counselor education programs (CEPs) to intentionally recruit and retain a diverse student body as a demonstrated commitment to diversity.

Nested in higher education, CEPs are well-positioned to diversify the profession through intentional recruitment and retention of REM trainees. The extant higher education literature provides research- and evidence-based strategies that CEPs could employ to diversify their programs. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) most recent changes directly address the importance of counselor education programs intentionally recruiting and retaining minority students (CACREP, 2024; CACREP, 2016). There is a disparate representation of minority trainees in counselor education programs (CACREP Vital Statistic Survey 2018; 2019; 2022). This presentation will (1) Highlight the role of diversification of the counseling workforce to meet the profession's aims and core values, (2) Discuss strategies that counselor educators can utilize to recruit marginalized students, and (3) discuss evidence-based best practices that assist with retaining marginalized students systemically.

Evidence

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-of-ethics-finaladdress.pdf

Blockett, R. A., Felder, P. P., Parrish III, W., & Collier, J. (2016). Pathways to the Professoriate: Exploring Black Doctoral Student Socialization and the Pipeline to the Academic Profession. Western Journal of Black Studies, 40(2), 95–110.  

Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2021). Racial/ethnic differences in mental health service use among adults and adolescents (2015-2019) (Publication No. PEP21-07-01-002). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/

Colby, Sandra L., and Jennifer M. Ortman, Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060, Current Population Reports, P25-1143, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2014.

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). (2018).

Annual Report 2017. https://www.cacrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CACREP-2017-Annual-Report.pdf

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). (2019).

Annual Report 2018. https://www.cacrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CACREP-2018-Annual-Report.pdf

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). (2022).

Annual Report FY2020-FY2021. https://www.cacrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CACREP-Annual-Report-2019-2021.pdf

Furtado, K., Verdeflor, A., & Waidmann, T. (2023). A Conceptual Map of Structural Racism in Health Care. Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.

Haizlip, B. N. (2012). Addressing the Underrepresentation of African-Americans in Counseling and Psychology Programs. College Student Journal, 46(1), 214–222.  

Henfield, M. S., Woo, H., & Washington, A. (2013). A Phenomenological Investigation of African American Counselor Education Students’ Challenging Experiences. Counselor Education & Supervision, 52(2), 122–136. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2013.00033.x  

Henfield, M. S., Owens, D., & Witherspoon, S. (2011). African American Students in Counselor Education Programs: Perceptions of Their Experiences. Counselor Education & Supervision, 50(4), 226–242. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2011.tb00121.x  

Ju, J., Merrell-James, R., Coker, J. K., Ghoston, M., Pérez, J. F. C., & Field, T. A. (2020). Recruiting, Retaining, and Supporting Students From Underrepresented Racial Minority Backgrounds in Doctoral Counselor Education. Professional Counselor, 10(4), 581–602. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.15241/jj.10.4.581  

Maiden, J. L., Stewart, D. O., Mizelle, N., & Thorne, D. (2020). Examining Factors That Promote Doctoral Degree Attainment for African American Males in Counselor Education Programs. Journal of African American Males in Education, 12(1), 35–48.  

Purgason, L., Lloyd-Hazlett, J., & Avent-Harris, J., (2018): Mentoring Counselor Education Students: A Delphi Study With Leaders in the Field, Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, DOI: 10.1080/2326716X.2018.1452080  

Wright, J. E., & Merritt, C. C. (2020). Social Equity and COVID‐19: The Case of African Americans. Public Administration Review, 80(5), 820–826. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.1111/puar.13251 

2024 CACREP Standards. (2023). CACREP. Retrieved October 21, 2023, from

https://www.cacrep.org/news/2024-cacrep-standards/

2016 CACREP Standards. (2015). CACREP. Retrieved October 21, 2023, from

https://www.cacrep.org/for-programs/2016-cacrep-standards/

Format

Individual Presentations

Biographical Sketch

Author One: Chantel Johnson M.Ed, LMHC-t, NCC

  • Chantel obtained her master's degree in counselor education with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgia Southern University. Chantel is currently a 3rd year doctoral student at the University of Iowa. Chantel is the current president of the University of Iowa Counselors for Social Justice Chapter. Chantel is a nationally certified and temporarily licensed counselor in the state of Iowa; she currently works with clients from different backgrounds. Chantel won the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award at the University of Iowa. Chantel enjoys teaching and is passionate about working with and educating novice-level counselors. Chantel's research interests include the infusion of trauma-informed care into addiction services for men and women of color. Chantel is also interested in research involving advocacy for persons with severe and persistent mental illness and students with disabilities in the postsecondary setting.

Author Two: Tevin Middleton M.Ed., LMHC-t, NCC

  • Tevin Middleton is a professional school counselor, a temporarily licensed mental health counselor, and a Nationally Certified Counselor. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Iowa. In addition to his doctoral studies and clinical practice, Tevin is a Workforce Expansion Trainee at the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health and a Health Policy Research Scholar with the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.

Location

Room 159

Start Date

3-7-2024 2:00 PM

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Mar 7th, 2:00 PM

Effective Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Students of Color in CES Programs

Room 159

Systemic racism thwarts people of color (POC) utilization of mental health care. Considering the projected growth of POC in society, it is necessary to address the barriers (e.g., inability to locate providers from their cultural groups) POC face. Centering the profession’s aims around social justice, equity, and the recently published CACREP standards to intentionally recruit and retain minority students, this presentation will 1) highlight the importance of diversification in the profession to enable health equity and 2) discuss evidence-based strategies counselor educators can employ to recruit and retain marginalized students systemically.