White Psychotherapists: Whiteness and the Lack of Racial Literacy for Attending Black Patients
摘要
This exploratory qualitative study aimed to investigate the experience of White psychotherapists attending Black patients. A total of 12 participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis with abductive logic was used for the data analysis and interpretation process. The four thematic axes found were (1) lack of racial literacy, (2) unpreparedness for care, (3) racial consciousness, and (4) overlap between race and other social markers. Theme 1 discusses spaces that could contribute to the racial literacy of psychotherapists, and moments in which the participants perceived a failure in the professional development regarding this theme. Theme 2 brings together excerpts containing more explicit data on the lack of preparation to provide therapy for Black patients. Theme 3 contains comments indicating how the participants perceive that their race influenced the treatment. Finally, theme 4 consists of statements in which the participants considered other social markers in their argumentation. It is concluded that training spaces have not encompassed responsible and in-depth discussions on the racial theme, resulting in poorly trained professionals, leading to potentially harmful practices for Black patients.