DIGEST - Volume 11, Issue 3-FULL ISSUE

7 TPC Digest C ounselors must be able to understand and address the roles that race, privilege, and oppression play in impacting both themselves and their clients. Most counselors identify as White despite the population diversity in the United States, which holds implications for understanding how White racial identity and other constructs of Whiteness impact culturally competent counselor training and practice. It is important, then, to examine the role of racial identity within counseling, particularly in terms of how Whiteness can be understood as a constant force impacting power dynamics and client progress. Whiteness models describe how White people make meaning of their own and others’ racial identity as a result of personal and social experiences with race. Though much has been theorized regarding Whiteness and its impact within the helping professions, it is less clear how the counseling profession as a whole conceptualizes Whiteness and the impacts of White racial identity on the counseling process. In this article, we present findings from a content analysis of counseling scholarship related to Whiteness in professional counseling journals within the 35-year time frame (1984–2019) following the publication of Janet Helms’ seminal work in White racial identity (WRI). We identified articles within eight counseling journals for a final sample of 63 articles (eight qualitative [12.7%], 38 quantitative [60.3%], and 17 theoretical [27.0%]). We found that most articles focused on identifying constructs associated with Whiteness and exploring these relationships (e.g., color-blindness, racism). We found that many Whiteness constructs discussed in the general literature (e.g., White fragility, modern racism, psychosocial costs) were not addressed in counseling scholarship; the primary constructs discussed were WRI and White privilege. Additionally, we note that counseling researchers used samples that were predominantly female (68% of participants in studies that reported gender) and that relied on undergraduate participants (22% of the samples across the articles in our study). Most of the quantitative studies used ANOVA or MANOVA analysis, which is often used to explore how constructs are related. Most of the qualitative studies used phenomenological analysis (i.e., the study of lived experiences). Approximately one fourth of the studies (26.3%) explored the impacts of a training intervention. In our article, we note additional findings related to methodology and limitations across the articles in our sample and discuss these themes in comparison to other Whiteness research. Finally, we include suggestions for future research, such as increased diversity of participants (i.e., less reliance on student samples, more representation across geographic regions, etc.). We caution researchers, educators, and practicing counselors to be aware of the complexities of measuring WRI and recommend an increased emphasis on behavioral assessments rather than just self-report, as self-report measures are impacted by how aware and honest participants are in correctly positioning themselves within stages of racial identity. We also suggest that researchers should continue to examine the components of WRI that can lead to anti-racist practices, as well as explore how to best train White counselors to progress through the levels of WRI in counselor education and supervision. The authors would like to thank Cheolwoo Park for his invaluable assistance in this study. Hannah B. Bayne, PhD, LMHC (FL), LPC (VA) , is an assistant professor at the University of Florida. Danica G. Hays, PhD, is a dean and professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Luke Harness is a doctoral student at the University of Florida. Brianna Kane is a doctoral student at the University of Florida. Harness and Kane contributed equally to the project and share third authorship. Correspondence may be addressed to Hannah B. Bayne, 140 Norman Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, hbayne@coe.ufl.edu . Hannah B. Bayne, Danica G. Hays, Luke Harness, Brianna Kane Whiteness Scholarship in the Counseling Profession A 35-Year Content Analysis