Treating Racial Trauma With Culturally Informed Strength-Based Interventions (Archived)

The psychological experience of racism, or racial trauma, impacts an individual’s wellbeing, life satisfaction, and identity development. The anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, and physical symptoms that often manifest from enduring direct and vicarious racial trauma have the potential to rupture one’s self and group esteem. As a result, it is important for racial trauma therapy to be rooted in helping clients explore the strengths, values, and resourcefulness that exist within them, their ethno-racial identity, and their communities. Dr. Handford uses the Community Cultural Wealth Framework to explore the value of using strength-based and culturally informed practices when helping client’s process and navigate their racial trauma.