Date of Graduation

Summer 8-31-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College/School

School of Education

Department

Educational Leadership

Program

Organization & Leadership EdD

First Advisor

Dr. Seenae Chong

Second Advisor

Dr. Farima Pour-Khorshid

Third Advisor

Dr. Genevieve Negron-Gonzales

Abstract

The well-being of school-based mental health professionals is critical to the functioning of educational systems, yet the experiences of Black school social workers remain largely absent from existing research. Black school social workers often navigate complex professional demands while also confronting racialized expectations, systemic inequities, and emotional labor within predominantly white educational institutions. This qualitative study examines how Black school social workers in the San Francisco Bay Area navigate their personal and professional well-being within these conditions. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory and Critical Race Theory, this study explores how multiple environmental contexts and racialized institutional dynamics shape their experiences. Using a narrative inquiry approach, data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Black school social workers working in K–12 public schools across Northern California.

Findings reveal that participants’ well-being is shaped by cumulative professional demands, racialized expectations of care, and institutional environments that often rely on their adaptability without providing structural support. Participants described navigating these conditions through strategies of boundary-setting, relational care, and culturally grounded practices that sustain both themselves and the students they serve. The findings highlight that resilience alone cannot sustain professionals working within extractive systems.

This study contributes to the literature on educator well-being by centering the experiences of Black school social workers and demonstrating the importance of shifting from individual wellness approaches toward structural accountability, collective care, and recognition of emotional labor within educational institutions.

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