UNDERSTANDING SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS THAT FOSTER RESILIENCE FOR BLACK MALE DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN PSYCHOLOGY

Although a large body of research exists explaining how there are few Black men in the helping professions (Beasley, Miller, & Cokley, 2015), there is little information about the sociocultural influences that support the resilience of Black men in doctoral programs. A phenomenological study was conducted with 5 Black men in clinical and counseling psychology doctoral programs. A thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was utilized to analyze the interview responses. The results suggest that a community of support helps to foster awareness which in turn lead to the students engaging in meaningful action. This interplay of factors has contributed to the resilience of these students psychological functioning in their respective programs. Implications for education and training in counseling psychology are discussed.