The Advocate Magazine Summer 2021 | Page 10

Editor ’ s Note
Sparked by racism-related events — and the increased attention to them — that took place over the past few years , the International Association for Counselling ( IAC ) and the American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) decided to offer a free , live webinar in May 2021 on racism-related trauma . Titled , “ The Counselor ’ s Role in Addressing Systemic Racism-Related Trauma ,” the webinar ’ s purpose was to “ equip counselors across the world with knowledge and tools for addressing systemic racism-related trauma .”
The webinar featured three international experts in the counseling profession :
• “ Above and Beyond Allyship : Advocacy in Action ,” presented by Susan F . Branco , PhD , LPC ( VA ), LCPC ( MD ), NCC , ACS , BC- TMH , Clinical Assistant Professor / Clinical Training Director , The Family Institute at Northwestern University . Dr . Branco is now an assistant professor in the Counselor Education program at St . Bonaventure University .
• “ Active Witnessing Model for Fighting Racism and Discrimination and Initiating Social Change : A Practical Anti-Discrimination Skills Training Program and Counsellors ’ Roles ,” presented by Ishu Ishiyama , PhD , Faculty of Education ( Counselling Psychology Program ), University of British Columbia , Canada
• “ The Role of Community as a Compulsory and Indispensable Intervention for Eliminating Systemic Racism-Related Psychological Trauma and Its Effects on Mental Health and Brain Health ,” presented by Anna Maria Mora , Regional Representative for Caribbean , International Association for Counselling .
After the presentations , a panel of four international counselors shared their reactions .
To broaden the reach of the webinar , The Advocate Magazine invited the presenters to participate in a Q & A on racism-related trauma and mental health . Following are the responses , in alphabetical order , of Dr . Susan Branco and Anna Maria Mora .

Counseling Tips

Racism-Related Trauma and Mental Health : A Q & A
THE ADVOCATE MAGAZINE : How do you work with clients who are not aware that their mental health issues are related to systemic racism-related trauma ?
SUSAN BRANCO , PHD , LPC ( VA ), LCPC ( MD ), NCC , ACS , BC-TMH : I work with children , adolescents , and adults who identify as members of the Black , Indigenous , and People of Color ( BIPOC ) communities as well as adopted people who are transracial . Most of the clients with these intersecting identities were also raised by adoptive parent ( s ) who identify as white . Therefore , they may not have been enculturated and socialized within their birth heritage .
One consequence of missing out on cultural socialization for your racial and ethnic group is not being prepared to recognize , respond to , manage , and survive racism , discrimination , and microaggressions . For many clients I work with , the first step is encouraging and supporting their exploration of these experiences , while also normalizing , validating , and pairing that process with socio-cultural-historical context . Supporting clients during their awareness phase requires trauma-informed strategies such as grounding and pacing the process to avoid retraumatization or harm .
Next , clinical mental health counselors may collaborate with the client to empower them to select trauma-informed counseling options such as EMDR , narrative , or other expressive therapies coupled with sharing risks and benefits of possible approaches . At this stage , ideally counselors work with clients on enfolding their support systems into their counseling work . The work may necessitate the counselor educating family members and other supportive persons about race-based trauma . In this way , the burden is not unduly placed on the client .
ANNA MARIA MORA : Many clients I work with are not aware that their mental health issues are related to systemic racism-related psychological trauma , and that these issues affect their work . They present with tardiness and missed project deadlines , and complain about feeling stuck .
To discover what brought a client to our office , I ask open-ended questions : What do you do at work ? What was work like when you started ? This question usually brings up memories of when the client looked forward to going to work . I ask : “ What changed ?” If a client tells me that he liked his job until , for example , younger people were brought in , then I give him an Incomplete Sentence Blank ( ISB ), a projective test customized to my client ’ s needs .
• Something I want but am afraid to ask for is :
• Young people are :
• I wish that :
• Trinidad and Tobago is :
• My dream job is : continued on page 11
10 The Advocate Magazine Summer 2021 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org