Education Commons^™

Liberatory School Counseling Practices To Promote Freedom Dreaming For Black Youth, Renae D. Mayes, Natalie E. Edirmanasinghe, Kara Ieva, Ahmad R. W. Washington

College of Education Faculty Scholarship

The American School Counseling Association calls for professional school counselors to support the holistic development and success of all students. However, the field of school counseling is riddled with practices that have harmed and dehumanized Black students. For example, school counselors engage in practices (e.g., social–emotional learning and vocational guidance), which work to reinforce white supremacy and dehumanize Black students. Further, school counselors may also contribute to the ways that the basic and unique needs of Black students are overlooked, leading to the continued systemic adultification of Black students. What is needed is a radical imagination of school counseling, which …