Theories and Models: Anti-Racist, Culturally Competent Counselors for Black Gifted and Talented Students
by Donna Y. Ford, Erik M. Hines, Edward C. Fletcher, Jr., Renae D. Mayes, Tanya J. Middleton
Perhaps more than ever before in recent history, minoritized students need school and mental health counselors who are anti-racist and culturally competent. While my colleagues/co-authors and I focus extensively on gifted and talented students (GATE), our work is relevant to all racial and ethnic students who face individual and institutional barriers to success in school and life. Given the myriad of challenges all students face based during and in the aftermath of Covid-19, socio-emotional learning (SEL) has been given escalated attention. In “Theories and Models: Anti-Racist, culturally Competent Counselors for Black Gifted and Talented Students”, we maintain that counselors must indeed be competent with SEL, and they must be culturally competent to work effectively with students of color. We focus on what school-based mental health counselors need to know to be anti-racist and culturally responsive for Black students.
For every year of the Office for Civil Rights Data Collection, Black students are in GATE by approximately 50%. Grissom and Redding’s study found that even when their familial and academic profile matched White students, teachers still under-referred Black students. Further, minoritized students performed better when they had teachers from the same racial and ethnic background. This is a clarion call for educators to be anti-racist, equitable, and culturally competent. The State of the States in Gifted Education reported that only four states require coverage of GATE in counselor preparation.
Several theories and frameworks can guide educators at acquiring a better understanding of the socio-emotional and psychological development and needs of Black students/clients. Next is an overview of promising works for guiding counselors (and all educators) in their efforts to disrupt prejudice and discrimination, and to be advocates and allies for Black clients/students. We urge readers to delve deeper into these works and others in our article.
Deficit Thinking and Degrees of Prejudice
We have long argued that deficit thinking contributes to low rates of Black students in GATE. Misguided and distorted views interfere with mental health assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and interventions. With deficit thinking. counselors perceive Black clients/students to be less capable than others.
Allport’s theory contains five degrees of prejudice. With antilocution, educators make negative comments about GATE Black students. It includes verbal threats, name-calling, jokes, and hate speech. Avoidance includes educators not taking steps to have GATE minoritized and White students work or sit together. Discrimination includes the denial of opportunities and services such as access to GATE. Extermination includes mass murders and sterilization to eliminate most or the entire group.
Racial and Ethnic Identity
Self-esteem and self-concept significantly affect clients/students' academic performance, socio-emotional learning, psychological well-being, and aspirations. Racial identity is an aspect of self-perception. Cross’ theory of Black racial identity can help all educators better understand Black students/clients. There are three identity exemplars composed of eight identity types. The pre-encounter exemplar includes three identity types as follows: (a) assimilation; (b) stereotypes/ miseducation; and (c) self-hatred. Immersion-emersion is the height of Black rage. Internalization is the height of Black pride.
Microaggressions
Sue and colleagues used microaggressions to describe racial encounters in three categories, divided into nine types. The first category, microassaults, is an explicit racial derogation characterized by a verbal or non-verbal attack meant to hurt the victim through name-calling, avoidance, and/or purposeful discriminatory actions. Microinsult is communication that conveys rudeness and insensitivity and demeans a person's racial heritage or identity. Microinvalidation nullifies the feelings, thoughts, and lived experiences of minoritized people.
Stereotype Threat and Imposter Syndrome
High-stakes testing seems to have a permanent place with decision making, including GATE. Few students are identified, labeled, and placed in GATE without taking at least one test. Stereotype threat is a type of confirmation bias. This "race-related" test anxiety should be accounted for in explanations pertaining to why many Black students have depressed scores on intelligence tests. The American Psychological Association has (finally) issued an apology for their past and roles in "promoting, perpetuating, and failing to challenge racism".
Afro-Centric Cultural Styles
Counselors must be aware of and understand Black clients/students' cultural styles. Boykin’s highly regarded Afro-centric cultural styles model has important implications for understanding mismatches between educators' counseling styles and Black clients' style and making them more compatible. The model includes spirituality, harmony, affect, movement, verve, expressive individualism, oral tradition, communalism, and social time perspective. When clients' culture is discounted, the counseling/therapy relationship, sessions, and strategies may be inappropriate and culturally incongruent. When counseling is colorblind/culture blind, Black students/clients may be misperceived and misdiagnosed as having special education needs and not needing GATE classes.
Summary
Educators should go beyond cultural awareness and sensitivity to become anti-racist, equity-minded, and culturally competent. This preparation can result in educators and decision makers having knowledge, dispositions, skills, and behaviors with an extensive or substantive cultural grounding.
Article Details
Dispositions Promote or Inhibit Cultural Competence and Anti-racism: Discussion and Resources for Gifted Education
Donna Y. Ford, Erik M. Hines, Edward C. Fletcher, Jr., Renae D. Mayes, Tanya J. Middleton, James L. Moore, III
First published online June 17, 2023 Research Article
DOI: First published online June 17, 2023
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