On Becoming a Black Family Therapist

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post , I’m deeply inspired by Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach to therapy. However, like anything else, it is not without its shortcomings, and as a clinician that uses this approach with clients, it’s a good idea for me to think critically about the strategies I use. Stages of the Therapeutic Process If we think about a course of therapy as one that is broken down into three stages: 1) exploration, 2) insight, and 3) action, I see Rogerian therapy as most effective when counselor and client are in the exploration and insight stages of therapy. During these stages of therapy, clients are uncovering the roots of their presenting problems and allowed to gain a better understanding of themselves. Person-centered therapists, with our nondirective approach to engaging with clients, seems to be a good fit here. However, I can see that this style of client engagement may become a problem when clients enter the action stage of the therapeutic process. D...

       I sense that my theoretical orientation will continue to evolve, particularly as I take more systems-based classes such as family therapy. While I see value in focusing on the role of the individual in mental health problem development and treatment, it seems that this is a short-sighted and less than holistic approach. With that said, while I am still early in my professional development and theoretical orientation, there are life experiences that have led me to gravitate towards particular orientations. I began my graduate education in counseling psychology with the following idea; that all humans are born with the capacity to grow and evolve into psychologically and physically functional beings, if given the right environment. From a physiological standpoint a child requires that his basic needs for shelter, food and water, and physical safety be met in order for normal growth and development to occur. I contended that what was often neglected in modern c...