From behind the veil: unveiling the experiences of Black British-born males of African heritage navigating psychotherapy training within a White-dominated culture

This study explores the under-researched experiences of eight Black British-born males of African heritage who completed their counselling and psychotherapy training in the United Kingdom (UK). This study employs a novel decolonial lens to examine intersections of race, identity, and systemic barriers within white-dominated spaces. Drawing on a transdisciplinary approach—Black Africana Existentialism (BAE), Black Critical Race Theory (BCRT), and the Colonial Matrix of Power (CMP)—that constitute the Africana Critical Race Framework (ACRF), this research unveils nuanced ways Black male therapists resist and are shaped by the racial and colonial dynamics inherent in their training. Interviews were conducted through the Ubuntu ethic, fostering a communal, humanising approach that honoured participants’ lived experiences. Utilising only the methodological steps, not the analytic apparatus of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study critiques and builds on the limited literature from the United States (US) regarding Black males’ experiences in white spaces. It highlights gaps in addressing the complexities Black males face and underscores the need for a systemic decolonial shift. Three main themes emerged: Being Black and Male in White Therapeutic Spaces (focusing on identity and existential challenges); Black Male Survival in White Training Spaces (examining resilience); and Afrolantica, Beyond the Veil: Black Males Speak and Thrive (detailing how participants articulated and overcame systemic barriers). Recommendations for decolonising psychotherapy training include decolonising one’s mind, revising curricula to embed non-Eurocentric perspectives (specifically Africana Studies), diversifying faculty to teach the revised curricula, and establishing mentorship programmes for Black students, particularly Black males. This research challenges the status quo and charts transformative change. It advocates for psychotherapy training that rejects the ethics of disdain, a concept articulated by Tommy Curry, which restricts Black scholars’ critique of oppression, fostering a liberated space for genuine expression and resistance to oppressive structures.