Date of Award
Spring 5-16-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
D.S.W. Social work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Dr Juliana Svistova, PhD
Second Advisor
Dr Yasoda Sharma, PhD
Third Advisor
Dr. Hanif Bey, DSW
Abstract
Black Americans face unequal rates of psychological distress and misdiagnosis primarily due to systemic racism embedded in institutions. Despite these alarming realities, current mental health frameworks often cling to biased perceptions of wellness facilitated by White, Eurocentric norms that pathologize communal resilience and cultural expressions of healing. In clinical spaces, these realities are too often erased by the biased meanings and individualistic norms that render Black grief pathological and Black resistance dysfunctional. Dominant therapeutic modalities labeled “evidence-based” remain rooted in racially neutral, individualist assumptions that exclude the lived experiences of Black clients, as they were developed for them. The National Association of Social Workers’ ethical code calls for social workers to challenge social injustice and respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. In response, this dissertation, grounded in Critical Race Theory belief systems, serves as a filter for questioning the racial silence embedded in traditional therapeutic practices and argues for restructuring these practices toward more race-conscious counseling and clinical practice interventions. The study sought insight into school social workers’ racial ideology using two validated quantitative survey instruments: the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale and the Critical Race Theory Measurement tools. The quantitative survey findings, integrated with open-ended written responses, illuminate the presence of color-blind attitudes and the use of neutral race-conscious clinical beliefs among Pennsylvania school social workers. They indicate that racial neutrality cannot be assumed to be harmless in practice, as what may appear as objective or clinically supportive can still reflect racial ideology, even when structural racism is not mentioned.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
King, Faith E., "Exploring Color-Blind Racial Attitudes and Critical Race Theory - Informed Beliefs Among School Social Workers" (2026). Social Work Doctoral Dissertations. 49.
https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/49
Comments
CRT, CRTM, CoBRAS, ADEI, CBT, DBT, NASW, DSM-5