ABSTRACT
Dealing with own biases can be one of the hardest things to teach in graduate school. Professors teach on topics that are controversial to challenge students’ biases. This is good preparation for any counselor, because there will always be students who have different values and beliefs. Also known as implicit social cognition, implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. This chapter presents few key characteristics of implicit biases. Explicit bias refers to the attitudes and beliefs we have about a person or group on a conscious level. Diversity and inclusion, and equitable education models are initiatives that many school districts are implementing. Understanding the working definitions of diversity, inclusion, and equity are important as a school counselor. School counselors have to be multicultural competent in order to meet the needs of diverse population.
