Angela Banks, in fulfilling the requirements for a PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision, Antioch University Seattle, has written and published a dissertation titled, Inheriting Power and Pain: An Examination of Intergenerational Influences in the Stories of Black Women in Professional Leadership Positions.
Banks uses Black storytelling as a methodology and conducts thematic analysis of one-on-one interviews with nine Black women leaders across industries. The analysis surfaces four themes: community-rooted leadership shaped by “what I saw and what others saw in me”; values formed within the Strong Black Woman schema; the challenge and responsibility of being “the only one” in leadership spaces; and transforming personal pain into service. Banks critiques counseling and workplace practices that reproduce harmful stereotypes and calls for training that centers on narrative, context, and culturally responsive care. She outlines implications for counselor education, supervision, and organizational strategy: embed anti-racist practice, redesign leadership development to account for intergenerational influences, and build structures that distribute support, not exceptionalism, across teams.
Banks is a practicing counselor and founder of The Clarity Couch Counseling Services, a private practice serving marginalized communities. She consults with organizations and media on mental health, anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her work focuses on anti-racist practice, the Strong Black Woman schema, racialized trauma, and narrative approaches that empower clients and teams.
Read and download Banks’s dissertation, Inheriting Power and Pain: An Examination of Intergenerational Influences in the Stories of Black Women in Professional Leadership Positions, here.
