Social Location, Power, and Disadvantage: Experiences of MFT Faculty

ABSTRACT

The intersectionality of social identities is couched with status and power relations, creating both oppression and opportunity. Intersectionality explains the unique and challenging roles faculty of color play in showcasing their different identities within the dominant discourse. Using an approach of discourse analysis, we explored six stories of experiences being COAMFTE accredited graduates of Marriage and Family Therapy programs who became professionals. Further, we explored the intersection of their professional identities (e.g. clinicians, professors, supervisors, administrators), and how these intersected with their lived experiences of their social locations, while negotiating power, privilege, and disadvantage. These stories revealed three overarching discourses: subtle, contradictory, and discriminating messages, hidden and raw emotional experiences, and the strategies of the comeback. It is our hope that this discussion informs and provides examples for others as they practice within mental health and academia while navigating these roles within their own intersections. Systemic suggestions are also provided.

KEYWORDS:

• academia
• disadvantage
• faculty of color
• intersectionality
• power

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical Statement

With the submission of this manuscript, we would like to mention that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere, accepted for publication elsewhere, or under editorial review for publication elsewhere; and that our Institution’s representatives (respectively) are fully aware of this submission. Also, we have no conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial). Since we used secondary data from a published book, there was no contact with human participants.