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Abstract
This manuscript-style dissertation is a non-traditional format including four separate chapters to be developed as manuscripts for publication. Chapter one is an introductory examination of racial microaggressions for people of color in the current sociopolitical climate and a brief review of chapters two through four, including primary constructs to be discussed. Chapter two is a separate conceptual article and literature review of social justice and liberation within the context of the counseling profession. It includes a call to the counseling profession to embrace a counselor educator pedagogy model of critical consciousness, based on the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (Ratts et al., 2016). Chapter three is a quantitative research study investigating the relationship between racial microaggressions and well-being for people of color in the current sociopolitical climate. It also examines the role of critical consciousness in this relationship. Chapter four is a critical reflexivity explicating the positionality and anti-oppressive research process of the primary researcher.
Results from the study indicate that racial microaggression are negatively associated with well-being for people of color, which is well-documented in the literature via studies that examine negative symptoms of mental health such as anxiety, depression and stress (Benner et al., 2018; Nadal et al., 2019; Lui and Quezada, 2019). Additionally, critical consciousness significantly predicts the perception of racial microaggressions, explaining 29% of the variance. Finally, of the three elements of critical consciousness (critical reflection, critical motivation, and critical action), only critical reflection significantly moderates the relationship between racial microaggressions and well-being, such that higher levels of critical consciousness results in a negative relationship between racial microaggressions and well-being. Implications for counseling professionals and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Results from the study indicate that racial microaggression are negatively associated with well-being for people of color, which is well-documented in the literature via studies that examine negative symptoms of mental health such as anxiety, depression and stress (Benner et al., 2018; Nadal et al., 2019; Lui and Quezada, 2019). Additionally, critical consciousness significantly predicts the perception of racial microaggressions, explaining 29% of the variance. Finally, of the three elements of critical consciousness (critical reflection, critical motivation, and critical action), only critical reflection significantly moderates the relationship between racial microaggressions and well-being, such that higher levels of critical consciousness results in a negative relationship between racial microaggressions and well-being. Implications for counseling professionals and recommendations for future research are discussed.