Social Justice in Counseling Psychology: An International Perspective

The objective of this research was to provide an international perspective of social justice and counselling psychology. The focus of the project was on exploring how members of the UK counseling psychology profession understand social justice, and act on their commitment to it. This was then compared to the US literature. Interviews were conducted with six individuals who had at least a moderate interest in and commitment to social justice, as assessed by the Social Issues Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using techniques from the grounded theory approach. Themes included participants` understandings of social justice both on a theoretical and a personal level, and the perceived fit between social justice and counseling psychology. Participants reported a perception of a lack of social justice action and reflected on potential difficulties associated with engaging in social justice action. Implications for the international counseling psychology profession are discussed. Keywords: social justice; counseling psychology; professional identity; power; equality