Section A: A systematic review of the challenges faced by Black Doctor of Clinical Psychology trainees and the coping strategies used to navigate predominantly White institutions in the United Kingdom and States: a meta-ethnography. Section B: "Surviving the battle". The lived experiences of Black trainees within predominantly "White spaces" during clinical training and its impact on their identity and professional development within the UK.

Section A
Universities with Predominantly White Institutions (PWI), in both the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) have made efforts to widen access to clinical psychology training programs. This intention, in part, was to welcome racially minoritised candidates and diversify cohorts, but courses have failed to account for the inherent challenges that follow with navigating an environment that has consisted of predominantly White trainees and clinical tutors for decades. This review explored experiences of Black Doctor of Clinical Psychology trainees navigating predominantly White clinical training environments within the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US). A systematic search of the evidence base was conducted and 10 studies consisting of PhD theses, published research and reflective accounts met inclusion criteria. Using a meta-ethnographic analysis, five third-order constructs were developed, consisting of 16 subthemes: Absence of ‘Black bodies’, Converging and Diverging Identities, Racism as an Additional Burden to Training, Strategies to Cope with Clinical Training, Professional Concerns and Blackness Under Scrutiny. Black trainees recounted the challenges faced and the strategies developed to arm themselves and protect their resilience in navigating Predominantly White Institutions as well as their simultaneous internal conflict on whether to speak up against harmful stereotypes.

Section B
Few studies have attempted to understand the experiences of Black DClinPsy trainees within the UK, and the impact ‘White spaces’ have on identity and professional development. This study aimed to conduct an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences of Black DClinPsy trainees, how they manage predominantly ‘White’ spaces on clinical training in the UK and how their personal and professional identity development is felt to be impacted by this context. Ten Black trainees were interviewed. Data were analysed using an Interpretative Analysis Phenomenological (IPA) framework, and four Group Experiential Themes (GETs) emerged; 1) Realisations of Supervision, 2) Whiteness within Cohorts, 3) Keeping up appearances and 4) Surviving the battle. GETs consisted of 11 subthemes. Experiences of Black trainees included how it felt to navigate the supervisory relationship, what discussions about racial inequalities with their cohorts looked like, how they managed the visible aspects of their appearance and what type of psychologist they envisioned themselves as in the future. Findings highlight the importance of issues of ethnicity and personal identity during clinical training and the additional pressures that can emerge from being part of a minority ethnic group, compounding the demands of training itself. Implications are ethnic representation among staff within institutions, and calls for mandatory cultural competency training for all staff. Compulsory small group discussions on ethno-racial disparities could be considered. Importantly, these issues and appropriate changes should be implemented in tandem with ongoing widening access initiatives.