When Minoritized Students Challenge Biases towards Members of Dominant Groups in Cultural Immersion

Abstract

Cultural immersion exercises, used often in counselor education, can effectively challenge student biases and encourage interaction with persons outside of the student’s own community or comfort zone. Through such exercises students belonging to minoritized groups may choose to address biases they hold for members of dominant groups who have discriminated against them, yet this dynamic has not been adequately studied. A thematic narrative analysis of student journal entries during a cultural immersion experience illuminated distinct qualities of their developmental processes. Implications for how counselor educators can support minoritized students’ growth in cultural responsiveness (and self-care) through such immersion experiences are emphasized.