The Role of Parentification in the Personal and Professional Identity Development of Black Female Clinical Psychologists

Background: Black women often experience parentification due to intersecting cultural, racial, and socio-economic pressures, shaping how they come to understand themselves and relate to others. While early caregiving roles have been linked to careers in psychology, little research has explored how these experiences influence the professional identity of Black female clinical psychologists (BFCPs). This study aimed to examine how childhood parentification shaped participants’ personal and professional identity, clinical practice, and their internalisation of the Strong Black Woman Schema. Methodology: This qualitative study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how eight BFCPs aged 25 to 44 storied their lived experiences of parentification. It made sense of its impact on their clinical identity and work. Interviews were analysed ideographically, and then cross-case patterns were developed. Results: Four Group Experiential Themes (GETs) were identified: (1) Intergenerational Responsibility, Internalised Roles, (2) Career as Continuation – Work That Mirrors the Wound, (3) Truth as Practice – Advocacy and Authenticity, and (4) The Weight of Strength, the Work of Letting Go. The findings showed how early caregiving roles shaped identity development, career motivation, and clinical instincts. Participants described the emotional burden of being “the responsible one,” the unconscious continuation of care through therapeutic practice, and the value placed on lived experience. Tensions emerged between pride in strength and the cost of silence, perfectionism, and burnout. Discussion: Findings suggest that childhood parentification played a central role in shaping participants’ professional motivations and interpersonal patterns within clinical spaces. While some traits, such as empathy, intuition, and attunement, were assets, they were also linked to over functioning, emotional exhaustion, and difficulty setting boundaries. The study highlights the need for culturally responsive training, supervision, and workplace practices that recognise the personal histories and intersectional identities of Black women in psychology.