Problem:
One of the limitations of traditional Western mental health practices is that they apply individualistic thinking to people from cultures that often rely on social supports and community to survive. Even clients who have been socialized into Westernized thinking are often aware that, when all else fails, they possess inherited knowledge of survival strategies rooted in collective values. Even if these strategies are not consciously remembered, memories of survival persist in the body.
A collective grief arose after witnessing yet another death of a Black man at the hands of people who are supposedly meant to protect and serve all citizens. Black people across the country protested, marched, provided mutual aid and support in a long standing commitment for still yet to be fully realized liberation. Activist not involved with the civil rights movement of the 60's followed those organizing patterns to create the BLM movement of today.
To tell a client to leave their dysfunctional family behind who is constantly stressing them out when the fight for justice still marches on, feels out of touch. The book highlights how "mental health professionals can provide clear cognitive tools to assist adults with histories of complex trauma by emphasizing the duality and impermanence of emotions" (Levers, 2023). Either/or thinking is characteristic of Western perspectives and can limit clinical interventions if clinicians are themselves stuck in such patterns. A client can be angry with their family and also empathetic to the barriers that set off a chain of intergenerational trauma driven behaviors. As Levers (2023) shared, emotions often co-occur and are embedded in ever-changing contexts, it's important to recognize how we might prevent clients from experiencing a full range of emotions by under diagnosing or misdiagnosing their expressions in the moment. Finally, I believe that one way to address these limitations is to expand our own thinking about emotions and incorporate cultural considerations that can foster change and growth without further alienation. Need Assignment Help?
References:
Levers, L. L. (Ed.). (2023). Trauma counseling: Theories and interventions (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
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