Treatment modalities that consider race, culture, and ethnicity
Systemic Therapy
Systemic therapy, while historically used in family and group work, can also be used with individuals in helping to explore and understand interactions with others and within the systems they're in. This treatment modality can be used to help counselors understand their patient's systemic responses to structural racism.
In Practice
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Go beyond the general biopsychosocial and inquire about cultural norms and traditions and if/how they show up in your client’s everyday life.
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Utilize structural mapping, ecomaps and genograms to help you learn about the spaces your client occupies and how they are informed by race, culture, ethnicity, family traditions etc.
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Be intentional about asking questions and examining what culture looks like for your clients and how they show up in their culture.
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Remain cognizant of how matters of race, culture, and ethnicity show up in the therapy session implicitly or explicitly.
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Anti- Racism Adaptation to DBT
DBT was developed to help individuals identify and cope with extreme emotions and self-harming behaviors. The anti-racism adaptation of DBT highlights how counselors can use more culturally responsive treatment with Black individuals.
In Practice
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1.Disrupt racial microaggression by being mindful of the levels of invalidating language and how that may show up in the treatment setting.
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2. Engage in a missing link analysis to help you identify and begin to work through avoidant behaviors related to conversations about race.
3. Utilize a biosocial conceptualization surrounding emotional dysregulation that Black individuals experience. This includes identifying generational transactions of trauma as a biological vulnerability.
Critical Race Theory
CRT is a framework that emphasizes systemic racism being embedded in American culture. The CRT framework provides an understanding of how racism impacts how minorities experience the world and ways to combat systemic racism in our practices and everyday life.
In Practice
1.Familiarize yourself with the CRT tenets to enhance your awareness of power, privilege and racism within our society.
2. Remain aware of the power differential between you and the patient and be willing to discuss what that may mean for the therapeutic relationship.
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3. Bring race into the room. Encourage conversation about race when appropriate. For example, “I'm wondering how this situation impacts you as a Black individual, would you like to explore that?”
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4.Use counter-storytelling and narrative therapy to center the experience of Black individuals. This can be done through journaling, traditional talk therapy, and other forms of therapeutic expression.
Cultural Humility
Cultural Humility is a continuous process of self-reflection that assists individuals in understanding systemic biases and privileges. Counselors can use cultural humility to be reflective of the space they hold while learning more about different races, cultures, and ethnicities.
In Practice
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1.Engage in daily reflection to help you identify biases that may impact your clinical work.
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2.Be willing to find and utilize different interventions that may be more culturally appropriate for your patients.
3.Engage in training and with other professionals to help you learn how to improve your cultural competence, humility, sensitivity and awareness.
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4. Be open to redirection and correction from the client in the clinical space.
