Social Justice (SJ) has become crucial in psychotherapy/counseling/psychology. Therapists are ethically responsible for integrating SJ into their practice to promote fairness/equality, beyond just treating symptoms like anxiety or depression. Based on a phenomenological analysis, the author argues that therapists may train their competencies towards the reality of SJ, its multiple meanings, interactions between society and individuals, and help clients develop freedom away from their traumatic SJ-memories and freedom towards a more meaningful/fulfilling life, enabling them to realize their individual/social potential. Following Iris Marion Young’s Social Responsibility Model and Judith Herman’s Truth and Repair Model, therapists can facilitate justice, healing, and reconciliation at the community level, breaking cycles of injustice. Research on trauma’s embodied nature suggests therapists assist clients in acknowledging and processing somatic sensations of injustice, often masked by secondary emotions. Therapists may recognize their defensive mechanisms and provide a safe therapeutic environment to avoid client denial/avoidance. A systematic literature review confirms the interaction of related concepts, like structural injustices leading to individual unjust actions. Therapists should help clients break these cycles through Social Justice Oriented Interventions, fostering resilience and a meaningful life despite challenges. This chapter aims to inspire therapists to drive positive societal change towards justice.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Working as a Therapist with Victims of Social Injustice

  • Joel Vos

摘要

Social Justice (SJ) has become crucial in psychotherapy/counseling/psychology. Therapists are ethically responsible for integrating SJ into their practice to promote fairness/equality, beyond just treating symptoms like anxiety or depression. Based on a phenomenological analysis, the author argues that therapists may train their competencies towards the reality of SJ, its multiple meanings, interactions between society and individuals, and help clients develop freedom away from their traumatic SJ-memories and freedom towards a more meaningful/fulfilling life, enabling them to realize their individual/social potential. Following Iris Marion Young’s Social Responsibility Model and Judith Herman’s Truth and Repair Model, therapists can facilitate justice, healing, and reconciliation at the community level, breaking cycles of injustice. Research on trauma’s embodied nature suggests therapists assist clients in acknowledging and processing somatic sensations of injustice, often masked by secondary emotions. Therapists may recognize their defensive mechanisms and provide a safe therapeutic environment to avoid client denial/avoidance. A systematic literature review confirms the interaction of related concepts, like structural injustices leading to individual unjust actions. Therapists should help clients break these cycles through Social Justice Oriented Interventions, fostering resilience and a meaningful life despite challenges. This chapter aims to inspire therapists to drive positive societal change towards justice.