Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Publication Title

Journal of School Psychology

Keywords

microaggression, graduate pscyhology training

Abstract

Graduate training in school, clinical, and counseling psychology programs is often shaped by structural inequities that can harm racially minoritized trainees. Guided by Critical Race Theory, this qualitative study used counterstorytelling to explore how 10 racially minoritized graduate students in school, clinical, and counseling psychology programs experienced and disclosed microaggressions to faculty/supervisors during their graduate training. Through thematic analysis, six overarching themes emerged: (a) types of microaggressive experiences, (b) influence on perceptions of program climate, (c) influence on emotional functioning, (d) actions in response to microaggressions, (e) faculty/supervisor responses, and (f) institutional feedback. Findings indicate that disclosure is frequently fraught, influenced by perceptions of safety, previous harm, and institutional silence. We conceptualize trainees as “caught” between the risks of silence and the risks of telling the truth about racialized harm, where “truth” refers to their experiential knowledge of oppression that often conflicts with institutional narratives of equity and safety. While some faculty/supervisors responded with cultural humility and validation, others reinforced systemic oppression through inaction or retaliation. Implications for school psychology include the need to reconceptualize supervision as a political and relational space, integrate anti-oppressive frameworks into training, and develop institutional mechanisms for accountability and repair. We urge school psychology programs to move beyond symbolic commitments to equity by addressing how racism, whiteness, and other systems of power shape the supervisory context and student well-being.

Funding Source

This article was published open access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Elsevier.

Comments

First published in Journal of School Psychology (2026): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2026.101593

DOI

10.1016/j.jsp.2026.101593

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