Last week, while prepping for class, I spotted a harmful qualifier for immigrants in a textbook. It was a tiny word with an outsized impact. Had I not been attuned to language, I would have missed it. But I didn’t. In fact, I have often finished readings feeling uneasy without knowing why. Then it clicked: most textbooks aren’t written with someone like me in the role of counselor.
The realization hit me hard. Most of my textbooks are geared toward students with privileged identities. One way this became clear was through the terminology some authors use, describing people like me as “diverse clients.” This language often left me feeling othered, though I appreciated the concern shown for clients from diverse backgrounds. Still, I am not reading those textbooks to become someone’s well-educated client. I am reading them to become a counselor.
Another way the lack of representation became evident was through the vignettes in some textbooks. In these stories, counselors from privileged backgrounds are more frequently included and introduced simply by name and age, or sometimes by their specialty. In contrast, counselors from marginalized communities are often given detailed background descriptions. When reading these vignettes, it feels like the authors want to make sure we notice their effort to be inclusive. This disparity reinforces the idea that counselors from privileged backgrounds are the default, while those like me are seen as deviations from the norm, requiring lengthy, often stereotypical introductions.
So, I understood why these descriptions bothered me so much, even though I have chosen a great program and love my journey toward becoming a counselor. These textbooks, which are widely used in counseling programs across the country and have gone through many editions, were designed to prepare counselors with privileged identities to work with clients like me. What they didn’t consider is that graduate students from diverse backgrounds would also be reading them, and that we, too, need training on how to work with clients who hold privileged identities.
Despite models such as the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) framework, which acknowledges that both clients and counselors can hold privileged and marginalized identities, there is still a need for continued progress in breaking stereotypes within our profession. As a counselor in training, I also recognize the importance of challenging how we write about and prepare future counselors.
The next generation of counselors will not only be trained to work with clients from diverse backgrounds but will also come from diverse backgrounds themselves. They will write textbooks that feature counselors who look like them, who grew up in the farm fields of California and Konya, the slums of Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro, and in areas plagued by war. Despite the odds, these counselors made it through graduate school and licensing requirements.
The emphasis on multiculturalism, advocacy, and social justice embraced by the American Counseling Association is essential and valuable. For this very reason, we must continue pushing for more inclusive and representative textbooks in counseling programs. By doing so, we can ensure that future counselors feel seen and valued. This change will help create a more inclusive profession, where all identities are recognized and celebrated.
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I will see you next week.
Roque Neto 