Managing Microaggressions: Addressing Everyday Racism in Therapeutic Spaces (ABCT CLINICAL PRACTICE SERIES)

Abstract: This book is intended to provide clinicians and trainees with a better understanding of racial microaggressions as they relate to therapy. This book provides thorough information on the research surrounding microaggressions as well as practical skills to use in session with clients. Microaggressions can be hard to spot and hard to understand. This book provides needed tools to identify microagressive behavior. It also outlines the research on how microaggressions can be damaging to people of color, causes of microaggressions, how to prevent them from happening, and how to help clients suffering as a result of experiencing them. Furthermore, it provides support for therapists of color on how to navigate microaggressions within their professional sphere. The book also describes validated measures and clinical interviews that may be used to better understand microaggressions and other cultural concepts relevant to clients. This book is a road map readers can use to begin their journey toward culturally competence to avoid microaggressive behavior in their profession and in their life in general. Case examples, therapeutic interactions, and discussion scenarios supplement the information provided. Finally, it outlines controversies regarding microaggressions and future directions related to this concept. Microaggressions have been identified as a common and troubling cause of low retention and poor psychotherapy outcomes for people of color. All therapists want and intend to be helpful to their clients, but many unknowingly committing microaggressions due to unconscious biases and misconceptions about people from ethnic and racial minority groups. Managing Microaggressions is intended for mental health clinicians who want to be more effective in their use of evidence-based practices with people of color. Many well-intentioned clinicians lack the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively engage those who are ethnoracially different. This book discusses the theoretical basis of the problem (microaggressions), the cognitive-behavioral mechanisms by which the problem is maintained, and how to remedy the problem using CBT principles, with a focus on the role of the therapist. Not only will readers learn how to avoid offending or harming their clients, they will also be better equipped to help clients navigate microaggressions they encounter in their daily lives. Managing Microaggressions will endow clinicians with a clear understanding of these behaviors and the errors that underpin them, leading to more successful therapy. "This series, which represents a collaborative effort between the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the Oxford University Press, is intended to serve as an easy-to-use, highly practical collection of resources for clinicians and trainees. The ABCT Clinical Practice Series is designed to help clinicians effectively master and implement evidence-based treatment approaches. In practical terms, the series represents the 'brass tacks' of implementation, including basic how-to guidance and advice on trouble-shooting common issues in clinical practice and application. As such, the series is best viewed as a complement to other series on evidence-based protocols such as the Treatments That WorkTM series and the Programs That WorkTM series. These represent seminal bridges between research and practice, and have been instrumental in the dissemination of empirically supported intervention protocols and programs. The ABCT Clinical Practice Series, rather than focusing on specific diagnoses and their treatment, targets the practical application of therapeutic and assessment approaches. In other words, the emphasis is on the how-to aspects of mental health delivery"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Advance Praise page 2 Series 3 Managing Microaggressions 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Series Foreword 8 Acknowledgments 10 About the Author 12 1. Understanding Racial Microaggressions 14 2. Causes of Microaggressions 48 3. How Microaggressions Are Harmful 56 4. Microaggressions in Therapy 70 5. Assessing the Impact of Microaggressions 96 6. Helping Clients Manage Microaggressions 104 7. Preventing Microaggressions in Therapy (and Life in General) 130 8. Issues and Controversies 148 Appendix A: Demographics Questionnaire 156 Appendix B: Demographics Questionnaire (Canada) 162 Resources 168 References 170 Index 184