White therapists addressing racism in psychotherapy: an ethical and clinical model for practice

Drustrup, David

doi:10.1080/10508422.2019.1588732

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Patients who need to talk about racism often prefer to talk to racialised mental health providers because they have genuine, on-the-ground information [65]. Having a preference is not to suggest that white mental health practitioners cannot learn to work sensitively with people for whom racism has caused them harm [66,67]. Many white practitioners, particularly those working from an intersectional perspective, are learning that the success of an intercultural competency movement in mental health related to racism relies upon their willingness and ability to embark on a journey of self-reflexivity [68].…”

Section: Structural Racism Is Structural Exclusion From the Priorities Of Intercultural Concernmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective Chapter: Cultivating Environments of Belonging in Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology and the Allied Mental Health Fields

Lazaridou¹,

Heinz²

2022

Effective Elimination of Structural Racism

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Mental health science as a field of research, education and care practices has a fundamental role to play in mitigating the costs of racism for affected communities. The development and the implementation of solutions, such as gaining perspective, encouraging mentorship and finding empowerment, can only meaningfully occur through the involvement of lived experience expertise. Notably, as a first step, the inclusion of such expertise at a structural level would require the cultivation of environments of belonging in psychiatry, clinical psychology and the allied mental health fields for students racialised as Black and Of Colour. Black Lives Matter, as a specific political movement, articulates a critique of how certain subjectivities and identities belong more naturally in spaces of knowledge and power such as universities. This chapter reflects on belonging as a ‘feeling of mattering’ and a contemporary politics. It is argued that the possibility to facilitate the effective elimination of structural racism in mental health science requires the cultivation of environments of belonging at an institutional level causing greater inclusivity and enjoyment for Black students and students Of Colour in ‘liberated learning spaces’. A clear, actionable path to create environments of belonging to help resolve structural racism is outlined.

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Section: Structural Racism Is Structural Exclusion From the Priorities Of Intercultural Concernmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective Chapter: Cultivating Environments of Belonging in Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology and the Allied Mental Health Fields

Lazaridou¹,

Heinz²

2022

Effective Elimination of Structural Racism

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“…The APA's acknowledgment that we are living in a racism pandemic begs the question of what is being done to address this within the psychological research and clinical community. It appears that antiracist efforts can be found in a slim body of literature advising clinicians and medical practitioners on how to handle racism in their patients (e.g., Drustrup, 2020;Kueakomoldej, 2018;Singh et al, 2015;Paul-Emile et al, 2016), and in the growing literature that investigates culturally-adapted cognitive behavioral therapy (CA-CBT) for specific racially marginalized groups (e.g., see Bennett & Babbage, 2014, Naeem et al, 2010 for CA-CBT with South Asian Muslim patients). However, the principles of antiracism instruct us to examine White Supremacist institutions with an inward scrutinizing gaze that locates the problem within stakeholders of power, rather than adopting a deficits-based perspective that pathologizes the needs of racially marginalized communities.…”

Section: A Dialectical View On Fighting Racism With Dbtmentioning

confidence: 99%

“You Didn’t Cause Racism, and You Have to Solve it Anyways”: Antiracist Adaptations to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for White Therapists

Pierson¹,

Arunagiri²,

Bond³

2021

Preprint

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There are currently no published studies that investigate or discuss the cultural responsiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to the needs of Black/African-American patients. In addition, no published scholarly works offer guidance to therapists on how to practice antiracism within the context of delivering evidence-based treatment. Methods for developing culturally responsive treatment are discussed within a dialectical framework. We propose that an antiracist adaptation to DBT is needed to correct for context minimization errors in the DBT model that create an invisibility of racism. Recommendations are made for an additional DBT Therapist Agreement that encourages labeling and targeting therapist treatment-interfering racist behavior. An additional Therapist Consultation Agreement is also proposed to guide therapist antiracist advocacy and functional validation for Black/African-American patients. The DBT technology is used in conjunction with other multicultural theoretical models to recommend strategies for developing White DBT therapists’ antiracist competencies. Future directions for qualitative research and applications to DBT supervision are discussed.

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“…Previous research has outlined the ethical decision-making process that guides the white therapist’s decision to address a white client’s racism as a target of treatment during therapy (Drustrup, 2019 ). This can be expanded to all therapists talking about race and racism with clients (with appropriate cautions and contextual factors included), while acknowledging the different experiences and risks within these interventions for therapists of color.…”

Section: Clinical Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Below is a summarization of the five-step model for addressing white racism in the therapy room (Drustrup, 2019 ). First, therapists must go through the process of building their own competency and racial consciousness so that they can later work on it with their clients.…”

Section: Clinical Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Talking With white Clients About Race

Drustrup

2021

J Health Serv Psychol

Self Cite

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Most white people do not believe that race is an important feature of their lives, and this belief continues into the therapy room where race is rarely a topic of conversation, especially for all-white dyads. However, research shows that race and racism are highly salient for white people’s mental health, and this gap in understanding has negative effects on the well-being of both white people and people of color. This paper argues to embrace the ethical and moral call to actively address race and racism in therapy between white therapists and white clients. This embrace can be particularly challenging for white therapists who believe themselves to be social justice-oriented people, but who nevertheless contribute to racism in both conscious and unconscious ways. A model is offered for how psychotherapists can bring up and work with the topics of race and racism during the course of therapy. The model includes ways for white therapists to engage in the long-term process of self-critique, ways to introduce the salience of race in the white client’s life, and how to connect race and racism to the client’s explicit goals for therapy. Finally, a case example is explored using a well-meaning, self-defined liberal white client.

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White therapists addressing racism in psychotherapy: an ethical and clinical model for practice

Cited by 20 publications

References 28 publications

Perspective Chapter: Cultivating Environments of Belonging in Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology and the Allied Mental Health Fields

Perspective Chapter: Cultivating Environments of Belonging in Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology and the Allied Mental Health Fields

“You Didn’t Cause Racism, and You Have to Solve it Anyways”: Antiracist Adaptations to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for White Therapists

Talking With white Clients About Race

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