City Research Online

Abstract

Black individuals continue to be underrepresented in counselling psychology (CoP) training in the U.K., despite documented and anecdotal evidence supporting the importance of having a diverse mental health workforce in the country. There is a scarcity of empirical research seeking to gain a better understanding of the experiences of Black CoP trainees and systemic disparities within the field. This paper presents qualitative research which explored the experiences of Black trainee CoPs enrolled in doctoral courses in the UK. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), eight semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings yielded four superordinate themes, each with two-four sub-themes: a) Identity, b) Black and in training, c) The challenge of balancing various professional and personal demands, d) Recommendations and suggestions to improve access and representation of Black individuals within the CoP field. Implications for CoP practice, training and the profession are discussed.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Publisher Keywords:	Black, Black British, trainee counselling psychologists, United Kingdom (UK), counselling psychology doctoral training
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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