Racial Trauma & Culturally Responsive Care
Racism, discrimination, and microaggressions leave lasting psychological wounds that demand specialized understanding and care. Clients often arrive in therapy not only carrying the weight of these traumatizing experiences, but the additional burden of having those experiences invalidated. Developing true cultural responsiveness requires therapists to examine their own biases and understand the nuances of racialized experiences of trauma so they can create safe therapeutic spaces. Learn more from Kenneth Hardy, Howard Stevenson, Monnica Williams, Joy Harden Bradford, and others.
How do we combat racism in a world determined to tell us it doesn’t exist? Read more
Jewish therapists and clients are experiencing traumatic invalidation of their experiences of antisemitism. Read more
Ken Hardy has been presenting workshops on racial reactivity for over 30 years. What's different now? Read more
A therapist, author, and longtime contributor to Psychotherapy Networker reflects on our field's entrenched reluctance to name and discuss issues of race and... Read more
How can we help our clients work through the inner torment of trying to occupy two cultural identities at once when they don’t fully feel they belong to... Read more
Support your BIPOC clients in gaining clarity about the frequency and types of discrimination they’ve experienced as they heal from racial trauma. Read more
Evidence-based tools can help us embrace our clients' feedback, greatly increase our cultural competence. and improve therapy outcomes. Read more
Black Men Heal’s therapy outcomes are defying the odds—and raising questions about what it means to be truly culturally competent. Read more
How does it impact the development of second-generation kids when their sense of self is inextricably tied to meeting the needs of parents and elders? Read more
Forming strong connections with others is not only integral to our development as humans, it’s connected to our very survival. For Black women, this is... Read more
A new approach embraces the somatic wisdom and indigenous knowledge of BIPOC clients. Read more
"Like my father before me I’ll continue to wage war against racism, confident that awareness will hold my aim steady." Read more
At best, self-harm and suicide among Black children are misunderstood. At worst, they’re willfully ignored. Read more
If clinicians continue to assert that "trauma is trauma," the uniqueness treating racial trauma will remain on the margins of what we extol as best practice. Read more
Networker discusses racially-sensitive, trauma-informed interventions and strategies with Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy. Read more
Networker sits down with the founder of Latinx Parenting Leslie Priscilla as she discusses key cultural and environmental factors that may influence your... Read more
Senior writer Lauren Dockett speaks with feminist author and psychologist Carol Gilligan about the future of women's reproductive rights. Read more
There’s no recipe book when it comes to working with another culture. Read more
Recent racial attacks have been perpetrated against people who look like me. I’m a female-presenting Asian American clinician, and many of my colleagues have... Read more
How can therapists address historical trauma and the common threat response of appeasement? Read more
The founder of a rapidly growing online community helps young Black women candidly discuss and destigmatize mental health issues. Read more
Just like families, coworkers often need help talking honestly and listening deeply, especially when it comes to issues around diversity, equity, and... Read more
Denise is slumped in her chair, declaring that she’s not a believer in therapy. A middle-aged, Indigenous, transgender woman, she’s heard too many bullshit... Read more
Almost 20 years ago, an editorial experience writing about a racial trauma at the hands of police resulted in a lasting friendship and an article that... Read more
Exploring the intertwined roots of caste and racism in America. Read more
Talking to clients of color about race and experiences of racial trauma is critical. But many white clinicians struggle with how to open these discussions. Read more
When it comes to addressing systemic racism and injustice, “therapy’s not enough,” says trauma expert Mary Jo Barrett. But that doesn’t mean therapists... Read more
Therapist and author Ken Hardy speaks on the toll that micro and macro assaults on dignity take on the lives of people of color, challenging therapists to... Read more
Now, more than ever, we’re engaged as a society in finding ways to have a truly meaningful dialogue about race and racism. But how do we translate good... Read more
While the Black Lives Matter movement has increased the country’s understanding of the pernicious impact of racism, how do people actually do the internal... Read more
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