Complexity Overlooked: Enhancing Cultural Competency in the White Lesbian Counseling Trainee Through Education and Supervision

Abstract

Self-awareness is often associated with enhanced multicultural competency. Training programs must work to facilitate self-awareness in counseling trainees who hold both privileged and oppressed identities. In this article, I highlight a gap in the literature regarding how best to supervise white lesbian counseling trainees. Facilitating self-awareness through supervision will be explored as a tool for enhancing multicultural competency in the white lesbian counseling trainee. An exploration of understanding white privilege as well as the impact of oppression on lesbian counseling trainees, will be used to draw conclusions regarding effective supervision for this population. Additionally, suggestions for future research will be proposed.

KEYWORDS:

• supervision
• white privilege
• lesbian
• counseling trainees
• race
• self-awareness

Notes

1. It is worth noting that a major critique of the White Racial Identity Development model and the Cass Sexual Identity Development model is that they do not conceptualize identity on a continuum. However, a White lesbian counseling trainee may find that she vacillates between different statuses and normalizing this experience is beneficial.