On Becoming a Black Family Therapist

This doctoral journey I’ve been taking in counseling psychology has illuminated some interesting truths for me. The first is that the research methodologies I’ve learned about in my classes, mostly quantitative methods are limited in nature for an academic who studies Black people. Quantitative methods are great at measuring and analyzing but are not so great at understanding and describing. And what I feel is most lacking in the research on Black parents’ experiences of being Black parents is a more nuanced description and understanding of our experiences.   For this, and other reasons, I’ve chosen to gear my training towards qualitative research because I notice how much scientific inquiry from this methodology is lacking. How can we possibly claim full understanding of humans, if we do not value investigating them with multiple strategies?   I realize in choosing this path I may never become the most renowned psychologist, yet I must do what is in alignment with who I am ...

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 have a secret. And please don’t tell my husband. You see, when I am learning techniques in my counseling psychology classes, I sometimes (read very often) use them on him, or in our relationship. Don’t feel bad for him. He already believes I, and anyone else that has a degree in psychology “shrinks” him, so I reason that I might as well do what he expects. In this case, when I learned about something called Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, I saw immediately how it could benefit our relationship, so I was eager to try it out, in a self-help kind of way. How Can EFT Help You and Your Boo? Good question! In truth EFT for couples is actually a type of therapy that you (and your partner) would go in and have about 8-20 sessions with a therapist. It’s a therapy framework that is designed to help you and your partner have a deeper more secure bond. In other words, this type of therapy will not give you scripts to improve your “communication skills,” or help you “fight better...

  In the article, Burton and colleagues (see footnote for full reference) address the idea of “homeplace” in working with African American clients in family therapy.   First, the authors describe the concept of homeplace for Black Americans as a space of nurturance, created by a sense of community anchored by a shared sense of struggle and triumph.   Homeplace is a construct, originally coined by the feminist activist bell hooks, who argued that African Americans, because their ancestors were uprooted from their original lands and placed in a country in which they were unwelcomed and marginalized, lack a sense of belonging to the country and culture in which they abide. Therefore, Black Americans must deliberately create a space, where they can be nurtured physically and spiritually, and feel safe to connect with other African Americans authentically. Honoring the Homeplace in the Therapy Room Next, the authors explain how African Americans often yearn for a homepla...

  When I first heard the term ecofeminism several thoughts went through my mind. What does feminism have to do with ecology? Does the term imply that nature is indeed a female? How does one combine two things that seem so different? My interest in this type of feminism was heightened after watching the webinar on Indigenous Feminisms. As I listened to some of those speakers in the webinar talk about being “keepers of life” and leaning into the womanly roles they carry, I felt great resonance and wanted to learn more. What is Ecofeminism? The term ecofeminism could be described as a philosophy that seeks to understand the connection between gender and nature. Moreover, the “eco” part of the word is better understood as ecology, not nature itself.   Ecology, as Pompeo-Fangnoli (2018) describes, is a world of interconnected relations in which everything is related to everything else, in both small and large ways. Because of this foundational understanding of ecology, ecofemin...

       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...

  It appears that overwhelm is setting in. I spoke with my site supervisor as a preparatory step for conducting my first in-take session. I’m actually excited to be back in the chair, working with clients, especially as my first intakes will be with two tweens.  At least the age demographic of the clients is familiar (my kids are similar ages), and I find that this is reducing my anxiety. But as I queried about what information to gather during the intake, there was a LOT.  There are just so many directions I could go with this process, and there is, of course because this is psychology, no “correct” direction to go.   My supervisor gave me additional resources and all of that added to my felt sense of overwhelm. In this moment, I need to digest all of this. To sit back for a second and just get a more clear sense of what “picture” of the client I would like to capture, so that I can best serve their needs.  Reminding myself that I am not going to get it “right”...