Black Issues in the Therapeutic Process » (First Edition)

ISHA MCKENZIE-MAVINGA is a published author, psychotherapist, and Reiki practitioner, trainer, and supervisor in the UK.

This book contributes to a much needed body of literature specifically focusing on elements of therapeutic work which addresses the needs and concerns of practitioners working with issues related to people of African/Caribbean heritage. The book assists readers to understand how to work with the hurt of racism and the inherited effects of slavery and colonialism. It offers supportive techniques to assist therapeutic work with these issues, explores questions that have been asked by practising and trainee therapists, and encourages practitioners to broaden their experience of working with black issues, placing them in a global historical context. Throughout, the book reflects on the process that practitioners experience as they explore ways of understanding how they relate to black issues.

Introduction 1

Pt. I Shared Concerns

1 A Can of Worms 13

2 Feeling It in Our Bones 39

3 A Black Empathic Approach 57

Pt. II Recognition Trauma

4 Healing Ancestral Baggage 77

5 The Black Western Archetype 94

6 Cultural Schizophrenia 117

Pt. III Finding a Voice

7 Breaking the Bonds 139

8 The Wounded Warrior 157

Pt. IV A Bridge from Fear to Transformation

9 Therapeutic Style and Approach to Client Work 179

10 Going All the Way 202

Afterword 222

References 223

Suggested Reading 227

Index 231