Abstract

This study was conducted to explore the difficulties experienced by supervisors providing sexual minority counseling education to counselors experience and how they cope with these challenges. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight supervisors or educators who provide education or supervision for LGBTQ+ counseling. The collected data were analyzed using the phenomenological research method. As a result, supervisors faced difficulties due to trainee`s negative response to the training or lack of preparation, the selection of education content, experiencing role burden, and a dearth of counseling theories, educational materials, and relevant training. To cope with these difficulties, supervisors adopted coping strategies such as flexible adjustment of educational content, development of personalized educational materials, establishment of clear rules in lecture, validation of trainees' experiences, cultivation of attitudes through introspective work, and the pursuit of their own values and roles. The findings of this study underscore the specific needs of supervisors engaged in counselor education. Implications based on the study's results are discussed.