Racial Trauma: Challenges to Traditional Therapy, Part 2 of 2 (SRIW Series, Ep 3, 204)

Secure Relating in an Insecure World (SRIW) Series episode #3, Part 2 of 2 (203/204).

This episode is Part II of Racial Trauma, linked with Ep 203.  To make sure you are paying attention :) we are running a series, Secure Relating in an Insecure World, and this is Ep 3 of that series.  Today's episode is also 2 of 2 in the conversation about racial trauma. Yea, we have so many ideas around here about going deep, and this wasn't our clearest move having a series within a series, but we trust you all. You've got this!!  Also, it seemed wrong to make you wait 2 weeks for the rest of this 2 part conversation so we are dropping it in more quickly and will go back to our normal pace of every other week on Tuesdays from here.  We hope you enjoy it - it's a good one!

This a continuation of our previous discussion with Gliceria Pérez & Debra Chatman-Finley where we explore other lasting effects of racial trauma. From the challenges of parenting with an unresolved trauma history to navigating day-to-day as a person of color, they use group therapy as an opportunity to make space for women to vocalize their pain and build community. Gliceria and Debra share personal stories and real-life examples of microaggressions and discrimination and offer insightful ways white individuals can acknowledge their privilege and cultivate an inclusive community.

“That angry part of you - it is just that, a part of you, it’s not all of you - it’s a protector. You don't have to shy away from it.” - Debra Chatman-Finley

Time Stamps for Racial Trauma Part 2

7:55 - Non-traditional aspects of their BIPOC group sessions

10:29 - Explanation of VCR: validate, challenge & request

11:49 - Challenges in validating anger

13:47 - Ways white therapists can create a safer environment

18:39 - Traumas effect on parenting

23:58 - Misconceptions about disassociating and attitude

27:26 - How these sessions impacted Debra's personal healing journey

29:07 - Acknowledging trauma responses in the workplace

33:55 - Differences in racial trauma

40:37 - Attachment and racial trauma

46:18 - Explanation of Janina Fisher's chart

Resources for Racial Trauma Part 2 

Therapy Wisdom - Online Training

Trauma, PTSD & Disassociation - Certified Program

[email protected] - Contact Information

About Our Guests - Debra Chatman-Finley, LPC & Gliceria Pérez, LCS

Debra Chatman- Finley is a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Board-Certified Counselor in private practice in Montclair, NJ. She is an Adjunct professor at New York University where she teaches Racial and Social Micro Aggression in Clinical Practice. She is the former Director of Clinical Services for a domestic violence agency, that provides counseling services for domestic violence victims. Debra earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Seton Hall University and her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the College of Saint Elizabeth. She is also a graduate and former Associate Faculty at the Multicultural Family Institute. Debra is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and received her Certification in Traumatic Stress from the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute in Boston, Mass. Debra’s study in traumatic stress strengthened her desire to integrate trauma and racial justice. She has devoted much of her practice and studies to the impact of race in the therapeutic process and the effects of racial tr...