MENTAL HEALTH ARTICLES

                      Counselor Competency and Responsiveness on Race-Based Trauma Symptoms   

                                                Authored By: Shavonne Rich LMHC, MA 

         The mental health field is increasingly recognizing the importance of academic rigor in promoting diverse responsiveness in areas such as Race-based trauma (RBT). Governing bodies are making efforts to reduce the stigma associated with receiving and providing mental health care among populations of color. By emphasizing cultural sensitivity and inclusivity, stakeholders are working to ensure that individuals from diverse backgrounds have equal access to quality mental health services. Promoting anti-stigma efforts in counseling and counselor education include promoting contact and non-contact-based educational approaches (Bor et al., 2018). Providing heightened measures for change in mental health provisions to People of Color (POC) means professional and academic emphasis on mitigating color-blind attitudes in mixed and matched race counseling/client settings for multicultural responsiveness in the field (Herdi, 2021). The Critical race theory (CRT), the theoretical framework utilized within this study, examines how race intersects with providing services, mainly counseling services for POC. The theoretical perspective highlights how systemic inequalities rooted in social, cultural, and legal structures can impact the delivery of counseling services for POC, and understanding these roots and their impacts is needed due to increases in POC populations in America.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, 2021) denoted an increased need for diverse counseling services, especially those offered to populations of color. Their research underscores the importance of culturally responsive and inclusive mental health services that address individuals' unique experiences and challenges. Thus, The United States Census Bureau, by 2050 identified the projected increases in minority populations in the US (USCB, 2018). Currently, 18.3% of Americans identify as Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% as Black or African American, 5.9% as Asian, and 6.2% of individuals identify with other racial or ethnic backgrounds. The USCB also predicted a 32% increase in individuals who identify as belonging to two or more races and diverse backgrounds.   According to Hemmings et al. (2011), 88.7% of their research participants experienced covert and overt acts of racism, 84% experienced hate crimes, 84% experienced institutional racism, 80.2% experienced microaggressions, and 85.8% experienced racial profiling. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, that trend of racial violence will increase as the Pew Research Center (PRC) published an article in 2016 that found that 84% of Black Americans contend that the legal system and police treat them less fairly than whites (NSDUH, 2015). In the same year, 74% of whites agreed that police treated black people less fairly. In addition, 66% of Black people experienced unfair treatment when applying for loans or mortgages, 64% reported discrimination in the workplace, and 49% experienced discrimination in stores or restaurants. Furthermore, Kosnar (2023) documented a 2021 FBI report that noted an 11.6% increase in hate crimes and discovered as well, that 64.5% of populations of color remained a target for violent acts due to race or ethnicity.

As the racial demographic of America shifts, racially motivated covert and overt violence against minorities is predicted to increase, thus sparking more incidents of traumatic stress in populations of color (NAMI, 2021). The Equal Justice Initiative (2021) found that attacks against Black people increased the most compared to other disadvantaged populations, rising from 1,972 in 2019 to 2,755 in 2021. Hate crimes targeting individuals based on racial features increased more in one year than any in other diversity categories (US Census Bureau, 2021). Diversity categories such as old age, sexual orientation, disability (mental or physical), national origin, and others have yet to show the same levels of criticality in America as race/color each year (NAMI, 2021). Some White Americans' concerns about expected increases in minority populations in America are the cause of increasing racial violence toward people of color (NAMI, 2021). Anti-Black prejudice was found to have been a driving force behind most race hate crimes, accounting for 56% of all crimes in America (EJI, 2021). Anti-Black sentiment has additionally been associated with discriminatory practices, including inequitable housing, medical racism, micro-aggressive mental health provisions, substandard and non-inclusive educational provisions, income inequities, and other   The United States Surgeon General declared racial trauma a national crisis in 2001, affecting the relational, occupational, social, and educational outcomes of POC (U.S. Department of Mental Health, 2001). With the documented increase in impacts from race-based trauma, counseling educators, supervisors, administrators, students, and professional counselors must equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively support diverse clients (Hemmings & Evans, 2018). Past research identified gaps in effective counseling approaches, training, and education in RBT. Hemmings (2011) found that although 71% of participants reported working with clients with race-based trauma, they had received no training for treating the disorder. That researcher further found that 67% of counselors polled were not trained to identify race-based trauma, and only 33% of professional counselors were trained to identify RBT. Additionally, 81% had received no training to treat race-based trauma, while a mere 18.9% indicated they had training in the area. Further, 25% of those polled reported having no race-based trauma treatment protocols or integrative coursework at the university level, 18.2% reported integrative supervision, and 3% reported receiving continuing education (Hemmings, 2011).     In comparison, 87.7% reported experiencing no professional policies or practices on the educational or professional levels for treating race-based trauma. Only 12.3% of those polled indicated they were trained in RBT treatment protocols and treatment planning approaches (Hemmings, 2011). Research findings by Chao et al. (2011), indicated favor for investigating evidence-based treatment approaches geared toward meeting the mental health needs of diverse clientele.   Neville et al. (2014) conducted a study that explored evidence-based guidelines for treating minority clients with symptoms of RBT. The researchers found that the dearth of appropriate treatment for RBT symptoms was due to colorblind attitudes among counseling professionals and educators (Neville et al., 2014). These colorblind attitudes were linked to deficiencies in counseling education and training, as well as limited treatment options accessible to minority clients. Thus, educational institutions were found to be limited concerning methodologies that would best target the specialized needs of people of color through counseling approaches that account for exposures to racial discrimination that may affect clients' mental wellness. Multicultural competencies for training and educating counselors were established to better assist counselors with being more responsive to disadvantaged populations.