Essay On African American Psychotherapy

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So doing psychotherapy with African Americans without talking about race just doesn't work, but it's not your fault. While it's not your fault, it is your opportunity to practice better.
An obvious question at this point is "How do African Americans respond when they talk about race freely in psychotherapy and what is the benefit to them?"34 As you'll see in these transcripts, almost all the African Americans liked and were relieved that they could talk about race in psychotherapy sessions. In some cases, it's obvious the person feels at home and is pleased (or at least expects and believes) that there won't be a need for racial or cultural translations in the session. In other interactions, it's clear customers feel safer in their belief …show more content…

Does a parent see their child's functioning at school as negatively influenced by the perceptions school personnel often have of African American youth or do they see the behavior as a personal issue or some combination of both? Does the person in any way connect adverse racial encounters to their distress, diagnosis, or some indicator of pathology? Are there any race-related reasons they believe contribute to depression, anxiety, or some other signs of distress? Do they see race as irrelevant to their psychological …show more content…

"If I can't talk about what really matters to me, why bother with therapy?" is a sentiment I have heard expressed