White school counselors increasingly work in racially diverse school settings. Although White racial identity development has been linked to multicultural competence and advocacy, less is known about how counselor preparation and professional experience shape White racial identity development or how it, in turn, influences school counseling practice. This study explored how school counseling preparation and professional experiences influence racial identity development among White school counselors and how shifts in racial identity development affect their work with students of color. using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Twenty-eight White school counselors working in schools in the southeastern United State participated in semistructured interviews. Interview data was analyzed iteratively through constant comparison and line-by-line and focused coding. This process led to the development of a theoretical model of White school counselor racial identity development. Findings indicate that White racial identity development among school counselors is shaped by both preparation experiences and professional practice. These experiences contributed to a shift from color-evasive to color-conscious perspectives and increased engagement in broaching, advocacy, and trust building with students of color. Emotional experiences such as guilt, shame, and discomfort often functioned as catalysts for reflection and change. However, participants also experienced tension related to belonging and concern about backlash in their advocacy efforts. Overall, results suggest a bidirectional relationship between White racial identity development and school counseling practice, with implications for school counselors, counselor educators, and school leaders.
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