![]() It is composed of co-dependent racist institutions, policies, practices, ideas, and behaviours that give an unjust resources, rights, and power to white people’ – at the same time denying them to Black people. ![]() Systemic racism affirms that ‘racism is embedded in all social institutions, structures, and social relations. For a complete understanding of racism, we also need to look at the term ‘systemic racism’, developed by Joe Feagin. Individual racism is insidious, unconsciously shaping belief systems, attitudes and ultimately decisions. Internalised racism lies within individuals and private beliefs and biases, including: prejudice towards others of a different race and internalised privilege - beliefs about superiority or entitlement. They’d had to live with racial inequalities and injustices every day of their life, regardless of whether racism had made the news that week or not. And now with it suddenly thrust into the public sphere, with hours of debate and online discussions, this public acceptance of their reality, simply allowed feelings to re-surface such as powerlessness, anxiety, anger and intense bouts of exhaustion. Black people were used to enduring a silent pain in order to simply ‘live’ - whether this meant having to endure ‘well meaning’ racist jokes, microaggressions or being denied opportunities based on the colour of their skin. Yet, before this worldwide acceptance, there’d always been a problem. Whether it be the Black Lives Matter protests, tearing down statues of slave traders, or the vicious racial abuse of three footballers who missed penalties during the Euros, the issue of racism has more recently become embedded in the nation’s consciousness. The last 18 months may have shone a global spotlight on the COVID-19 pandemic, but the ‘topic’ of racism wasn’t far behind. My role as a psychotherapist and historical fiction author means I get to write about racism in a historical context, whilst seeing first-hand how it can affect us in the present day. They shared with us their best culturally informed strategies to help clients of color heal from the hidden wounds of racial trauma.Psychotherapist and author Lola Jaye explains that although the issue of racism is more embedded in society’s consciousness, the effects of historical and systemic racism are still having far-reaching effects on the mental health of Black people. So for this trauma training program, we turned to 19 experts in the field of multicultural psychology. That’s why knowing how to address these issues can be critical in creating a practice that’s safer, more inclusive, and better equipped to serve clients of color. But if we aren’t working from a culturally informed perspective, we might find ourselves unprepared when stories of racial stress and trauma come up.Īnd in some cases, the treatment we provide might end up doing more harm than good. While issues of race and racism might not be the primary reason a client walks through your door, they could be a significant contributing factor. Without targeted strategies for treating racial trauma, we fall short with clients of color. But so often, racism creeps up in more subtle ways – even in the most commonplace, everyday interactions.Īnd over time, the stress of discrimination, marginalization, and prejudice can build into trauma. Some acts of racism, like hate crimes and slurs, can be easy to spot. That’s why even if we’re well-versed in working with chronic stress and trauma, we’re likely missing tools to treat clients who’ve experienced racial stress and trauma.Īnd without the proper training, it can have serious consequences for our work with clients.īecause of how insidious racism can be, some racial stress and trauma can easily go unnoticed – even by the most experienced practitioners. We know there are cultural gaps in our training that lead to deficiencies in the treatment that clients of color receive. Historically, much of our training hasn’t taught us how to work with the significant link between racism and trauma. Treating trauma can be a challenge for even the most experienced practitioner.īut when a client’s trauma stems from experiences of racism, treatment can become even more complex – for both the practitioner and client.
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