Career development of male counseling psychology doctoral students: A qualitative analysis

This study used a consensual qualitative research design to examine the way contextual, cultural, and personal variables influenced the training, career choice, and development of six male counseling psychology doctoral students in the U.S. and three in Turkey. Four domains of influence on the career decision-making process emerged: personal values, prior experience, family obligations, and role models. Experiences in the program were characterized by rejection of gender minority status, intersectionality of several different identities, perceived privilege as a male, meaning of masculinity, and role navigation. Participants also described factors that facilitated their training, such as having faculty who endorsed less traditional gender role beliefs and allies in the program. Cross-cultural differences and similarities between U.S. and Turkish participants were also found. Implications for training program faculty and male counseling psychologists in training are discussed.