7: Knowledge for Taking Action

This chapter centers on White supremacy culture and opens with a vignette that shows how White fear underlies hate and violence. Qualities of this culture are also found in counselor education. Many have had experiences living or working in settings where these qualities exert significant pressure on us interpersonally, within institutions and in policies that affect us as trainees and practitioners. It can be helpful to appreciate that assumptions underlying professional conventions find a place without questioning their legitimacy. We turn to antiracism and how to affect change to challenge assumptions associated with such influence. The chapter concludes with areas of strength that practitioners can develop to challenge such assumptions in their professional work.