Received: 18 December 2023 Revised: 27 June 2024 Accepted: 28 June 2024 DOI: 10.1002/jcad.12532 RESEARCH ARTICLE An exploration of counselors of color working in the eating disorder field Amy Biang 1 Clare Merlin-Knoblich 2 Jae Hoon Lim 3 1 Department of Educational Psychology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA 2 Department of Counseling, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA 3 Department of Educational Leadership, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Correspondence Amy Biang, 15451 N 28th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85053, USA. Email: amy.biang@nau.edu Funding information Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Abstract Among eating disorder (ED) professionals, counselors of color (COCs) are under- represented. Given the prevalence of EDs among people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as the low number of COCs working in the profession and its problematic implications, this study is warranted to include the experiences of COCs in EDs and understand how to grow the specialty with counselors of all backgrounds. In this study, we interviewed 10 COCs and analyzed transcripts using a post-intentional phenomenological design. Tentative manifestations of unprepared, isolating spaces, unspoken knowing, and exhaustion, as well as provocations of cultural inclusion, changemaker, and vulnerability, emerged. We present implications, limitations, and research considerations. KEYWORDS counselors of color, diversity, eating disorders INTRODUCTION In the United States, eating disorders (EDs) are prevalent among people of all races and ethnicities (Sonneville & Lipson, 2018). What was once considered an illness only affecting skinny, White, affluent girls has become entrenched among people of all sizes, races, socioeconomic classes, and genders (Qian et al., 2022; Sonneville & Lipson, 2018). Despite the increase in racial diversity in ED presentations, among professionals who treat EDs, counselors of color (COCs) are underrepresented (Jennings Mathis et al., 2020). Instead, the ED profession is primarily composed of White professionals (Jennings Mathis et al., 2020; Lundgren, 2022). This predominance of White professionals often creates chal- lenging work environments for COCs (Cheng & Merrick, 2017; Jennings Mathis et al., 2020; Lundgren, 2022; Wong et al., 2014) as White invisibility hinders counselors and researchers from recognizing oppression, workplace stres- sors, and gaps in culturally appropriate treatment that occur in the ED field (Jennings Mathis et al., 2020; Lundgren, 2022). Moreover, with fewer COCs available to treat clients of color, the likelihood of racial matching emerging is slim (Jennings Mathis et al., 2020). © 2024 by the American Counseling Association. Racial matching Racial matching is a way to potentially reduce mental health disparities for racial and ethnic minorities by having access to helping professionals from the same racial/ethnic group (Meyer & Zane, 2013). As clients seek counseling, some want to match with a counselor who speaks their native language (Cheng & Merrick, 2017) or is racially matched (Meyer & Zane, 2013). COCs offer clients of color access to treatment with a similar counselor regarding intersectional attributes such as gender, race, or cultural beliefs (Meyer & Zane, 2013; Steinfeldt et al., 2020). Furthermore, researchers have found favorable outcomes with racial matching for African American, Asian American (Meyer & Zane, 2013; Steinfeldt et al., 2020), and Latine clients in counseling (Reyes-Rodriguez et al., 2014). These outcomes include pos- itive treatment engagement, retention (Meyer & Zane, 2013), number of sessions attended, and improved Global Assess- ment of Functioning (GAF) scores (Kim & Kang, 2018). Without many COCs in EDs, however, most racially and ethnically diverse ED clients lack the option to experience racial matching with their counselor (Jennings Mathis et al., 2020). J Couns Dev. 2024;1–13. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jcad 1