Toward a culturally humble practice: Critical consciousness as an antecedent

The death of George Floyd in May of 2020 re-awakened the world to the social injustices in America. As the Black Lives Matter movement sparked protests in the streets of countries around the world, mental health professionals grappled with how best to support those they serve. While cultural competence has historically been the field's response, cultural humility has been promoted as an additional component of culturally responsive care. Since its adoption into counseling, scholars have attempted to better understand the phenomenon of cultural humility through analyses, measurement development, and theory development. In this article, the authors attempt to deepen an understanding of cultural humility by conceptualizing its development through critical consciousness. As a model created to liberate the oppressed, the authors propose critical consciousness as the foundation from which counselors can enact cultural humility.