Abstract
Background:This study explores the lived experiences of female trainee Counselling Psychologists from working-class backgrounds in the United Kingdom. Despite Counselling Psychology ’s stated commitments to inclusivity and social justice, class remains an under-theorised and marginalised axis of inequality within the profession. Evidence shows that individuals from working-class backgrounds continue to face structural, cultural, and emotional barriers to accessing and progressing within Counselling Psychology training.
Aims and Objectives:
The research aimed to explore how socioeconomic background shapes access to Counselling Psychology training and the development of professional identity. Specific objectives included understanding participants’ motivations and pathways into doctoral training, examining how class intersects with gender, race, and caregiving responsibilities, and making recommendations for fostering greater inclusivity within the profession.
Methodology:
The study employed a qualitative, feminist-informed methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants who self-identified as working-class women currently in Counselling Psychology training. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore participants’ meaning-making processes, guided by a feminist standpoint epistemology that prioritises marginalised perspectives.
Key Findings:
Four superordinate themes and eight subthemes emerged and were identified through a rigorous idiographic and interpretative analysis. The first theme, Shaping Identity through Class and Community Belonging, captured how participants drew ethical and relational strength from their working-class backgrounds. Subthemes included a sense of pride in working-class identity and embodied differences in the professional landscape.
The second theme, Feeling Out of Place: Othering and Belonging in Psychological Training and Practice reflected participants’ experiences of othering in academic and clinical spaces. Subthemes revealed tensions between working-class identity and the perceived expectations of being a psychologist, with many participants navigating feelings of imposter syndrome and cultural dissonance.
The third theme, Relatability and the Importance of Working-Class Voices, highlighted participants’ belief that their backgrounds enhanced their therapeutic practice. They described how their lived experiences enabled stronger rapport with marginalised clients and informed their commitment to social justice. Subthemes illustrated how participants sought to bridge the gap between psychology and underserved communities, and how this motivation often shaped their decision to enter the field.
The final theme, The Emotional Toll and Coping Strategies, documented the material and psychological costs of training. Subthemes focused on the importance of support networks and relationships, as well as ongoing financial struggles and resource limitations that frequently went unacknowledged by institutions.
Implications:
The findings suggest that aspects of Counselling Psychology training may align more closely with middle-class norms, which some participants found challenging to navigate. Participants highlighted the importance of institutional practices that recognise diverse social and economic backgrounds. Recommendations included increasing access to funded placements, offering greater flexibility for trainees with additional responsibilities, and incorporating discussions of class within the curriculum and supervision. The closure of regionally accessible programmes, such as the South Wales doctorate, is potentially limiting entry routes into the profession for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Conclusion:
This research contributes a critical, intersectional analysis of class in Counselling Psychology. It underscores the need to move beyond representational diversity toward structural change. Working-class trainees bring valuable relational and ethical knowledge to the profession. Yet their inclusion remains conditional on navigating an often-non-inclusive institutional landscape. Centring their experiences not only exposes the limits of current training models but also offers pathways for building a more equitable and representative psychological profession. Their embodied knowledge and lived realities also hold potential to enrich clinical practice, offering grounded, socially attuned, and innovative ways of working.
| Date of Award | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Roiyah Saltus (Supervisor) & Helen Jones (Supervisor) |