Understanding and Navigating Racial Trauma

Competence in discussing and understanding experiences of racism and micro-aggressions is an essential skill for all counsellors. This topic is close to my heart as I have Black family members, and my son is of mixed-race. Through working in the Criminal Justice System, I have also read and heard so many heart-wrenching experiences of racism and ensuing intergenerational racial trauma to understand and acknowledge my immense privilege as a white person in Canada.

During my graduate program, I was introduced to the concept of “broaching”, whereby the counsellor directly addresses topics such as ethnicity and culture with the client. By naming the intersectional aspects of our unique identities, and exploring how they interact with each other, the client is invited to share more of how their identity has shaped their lived experiences. Broaching can be difficult to get comfortable with, as many of us have been socialized to avoid addressing our differences under the guise of politeness. Since learning how beneficial broaching can be to supporting clients to feel comfortable and seen, I have intentionally been practicing this skill in my daily life.

Last week, I encountered something unexpected in one of my personal relationships. I was told that after openly discussing and validating a friend’s experiences of racism at their workplace, they had noticed the racism more often, and it was beginning to feel heavy for them.  Prior to their experiences being validated, it had felt easier for them to supress the pain caused by the racist acts. However, once we named the racism and spoke openly about the unjust behaviour, they felt they could no longer avoid the pain and ensuing rage.

I asked my friend how I could continue to support them through this emotional experience, and, after giving it some thought, they shared that my understanding and validation was enough. They also noted that I should continue to harness by privilege by practicing social activism to bring more awareness to racism and its harms. While I appreciated this insight, I began to wonder how I would support clients in therapy who might experience something similar. Would simply validating and seeking to understand their experiences be enough? Would it be my place to support them with navigating their just feelings of rage?

In search of answers, I turned to Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy’s book titled ‘Racial Trauma’. Dr. Hardy states that counsellors can support clients in recalibrating and rechannelling rage, but only after the nuances of the rage have been explored and better understood. First and foremost, clients should be supported in recognizing that they are not responsible for the experiences that led to their rage, but they do have agency over how they respond to it. Seeking to understand the source of the rage, and whether it be internalized or externalized, is also imperative to sorting out how to re-channel it. These are not simple tasks and are further complicated by the lack of common language to identify and discuss this topic.

In closing, while the term “racial trauma” feels like a new word in the popular academic lexicon, it is by no means a new experience. I appreciate the work of Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy as he provides a roadmap of what I need to continue to learn about to be a competent counsellor. I have included a couple links to reading resources that helped me on my journey to becoming more competent, and I would be immensely appreciative of any resources that may have helped you!

-          Racial Trauma by Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy (Book, published in 2023).

-          Broaching the Subjects of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture During the Counseling Process by Norma L. Day-Vines et al.,(Research Article, published in 2007).