Posts Tagged ‘African Americans’

Internalized Racism

June 14th, 2010

anti-racist therapistIn The Noonday Demon – Andrew Solomon’s book on depression – internalized racism is defined as self-doubt predicated on dominant social attitudes (pg. 196, Scribner, 2001).  In other words, the oppressive social attitude of white society that People of Color are less-than can manifest in a Person of Color as a lack of self-confidence.

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The Trauma of Oppression

December 29th, 2009

oppression and therapyBeing a Person of Color or a member of any marginalized group in America has it’s challenges.  You already know that.  You don’t need a therapist to tell you about how -isms affect you and your life.  What I would like to tell you about, however, is how therapy can help relieve trauma-based symptoms which are caused by social conditions, like racism, sexism, and the like.

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Overcoming Marginalized Experiences

December 21st, 2008

Almost any day, when I read the newspaper, I am confronted with the ways social forces try to marginalize minority folks, their experiences, and opinions.  Women, People of Color, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual folks, and Transgender people are often told to quit complaining.  “You’re taking things too seriously.”  “It’s not as bad as you make it out to be.”  “You’re ridiculous.”  All of these messages, from my point of view, are the greater culture’s effort to maintain status quo and keep others from living their lives the way it was meant to be.

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Race Relations in the Therapy Room

November 19th, 2008

I am sitting across from a new client – a person of another race.  I make a statement like “Often times, the fact of our different races can influence the process and outcome of our work together.  I’m going to do my best to pay attention to this.  I’d also encourage you to speak up if you think our cultural differences are getting in the way of our work.”  The client looks at me with a smile, pulls out her/his wallet, and shows me a picture of her/his child – clearly a biracial kid.

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