Abstract
Race is one of many ways that humans are defined and socially positioned within the US culture. Literature on racial identity formation has been available for several decades; however, racial power and privilege has insulated many White researchers from contributing to the research with humility and openness. As a counseling psychologist, it was important to understand the impact of my racial presence on others on a relational level. Using an autoethnography approach allowed me to keep a journal for two years and examine internal struggles resulting from the ways that US culture has shaped my worldview (Ellis, 2004; Patton, 2015). My research aimed to contribute to the racial identity development literature with accountability and encourage White counselors to increase cultural competence through self-awareness, distress tolerance, and respectful dialogue. Through my analysis, I identified six practices (e.g., observe, own, inquire, reorganize, partner, reflect) that can help clarify internalized racial beliefs and change implicit biases that inhibit cross-racial relationships. I hope my research supports increased culturally competent practices and decreased racist ideology, microaggressions, and racial superiority in the field of psychology.