Making Space for Racial Dialogue: Our Experience in a Marriage and Family Therapy Trainingt Program

Abstract

Marriage and family therapy (MFT) training programs need to create opportunities for all students to develop cultural competency by raising their racial awareness and sensitivity. Likewise, therapists of color need to be offered space in MFT programs to voice their experiences and venues for their voices to be heard. This article reports on the efforts within a master's level, accredited MFT training program to create space, through participatory action research, for the unique experiences of therapists of color and White therapists who are deeply committed to racial sensitivity.

Discussions of Diversity in a Classroom: A Phenomenological Study of Students in an MFT Training Program

“…Brooke (1999) highlighted the move towards student-centered learning and advocated for faculty to work towards identification of student needs in a particular area, for example, through an initial questionnaire on certain topics. Other researchers recommended experiential activities including writing assignments such as personal narratives and journaling (Allen 1995;McDowell et al 2003), films and videos, scholarly articles, and guest speakers (Heppner and O'Brien 1994). These findings support the inclusion of varied teaching approaches within the training curricula to maximize learning and growth within a diverse community.…”

“…Orbe (2000) advocated for the use of qualitative research methods, and phenomenology in particular, to gain insight into the lived experiences of diverse racial and ethnic group members. This also was highlighted in an article by McDowell et al (2003), who noted a need for ''racially skilled and competent therapists'' to fulfill not only ''ethical and moral responsibilities'' but also a ''professional imperative' ' (p. 180). The latter authors discussed the role of training programs in this endeavor but also acknowledged that such programs, specifically those in MFT, often work with a disparately low percentage of students of color compared to their European American peers.…”

“…Gutierrez-Gomez (2002) suggests the development and early implementation of guidelines or values that could support a safe environment. A number of researchers (Cannon 1990;Harris 2003;McDowell et al 2003;Orbe 1995) also advocate for ground rules or ''norms'' (Heppner and O'Brien 1994;Valerio 2001) to facilitate discussion, and suggest collaborative discussion, review, and reinforcement of the rules throughout the term.…”

“…One way in which faculty may begin to create an environment conducive to growth is through self-disclosure. Researchers have shared their own efforts to utilize this technique with regards to disclosing sexual orientation (Allen 1995), sharing mistakes made (Valerio 2001), and utilizing their own multiple cultural and racial identities to foster sharing of personal cultural stories (Jackson 1999;McDowell et al 2003).…”

Social Justice Mentoring: Preparing Family Therapsists for Social Justice Advocacy Work

“…Researchers argue that a central component of preparing students to engage in this advocacy work involves helping students become aware of their social location within dominate power structures (Hardy & McGoldrick, 2008;McGeorge et al, 2006;McDowell, Fang, Young, Khanna, Sherman, & Brownlee, 2003). In particular, this process involves helping students gain an awareness of how systemic oppression and advantage influences clients, the therapy process, and their own personal lives.…”