ABSTRACT
The subject of counselling and race is difficult to address in a clear manner, because as Jones has put it, 'among other complexities, it is embedded in the fluctuating nature of race relations in our society and hence in a continually evolving sociocultural context'. This chapter concentrates upon the complex relationship between black and white people in Britain generally, and within counselling specifically. Increasingly, black people are training in counselling and indeed some have already formed an Association of Black Counsellors (ABC). In the educational arena, Coard produced some frightening figures concerning the disproportionate incidence of black children in what were then termed 'educationally subnormal' schools. The identity development models admirably explain these difficult and complex dynamics and thus will be helpful to counsellors in their pursuit of appropriate therapeutic effectiveness. American models are a most useful general guide to any counsellors working in a cross-racial structure.
