Citation

Kelly S, Jeremie-Brink G, Chambers AL, Smith-Bynum MA. Fam. Process 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Family Process Institute, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/famp.12614

PMID

33217004

Abstract

The frequent police killings during the COVID-19 pandemic forced a reckoning among Americans from all backgrounds and propelled the Black Lives Matter movement into a global force. This manuscript addresses major issues to aid practitioners in the effective treatment of African Americans via the lens of Critical Race Theory and the Bioecological Model. We place the impacts of racism on Black families in historical context and outline the sources of Black family resilience. We critique structural racism embedded in all aspects of psychology and allied fields. We provide an overview of racial socialization and related issues affecting the parenting decisions in Black families, as well as a detailed overview of impacts of structural racism on couple dynamics. Recommendations are made for engaging racial issues in therapy, providing emotional support and validation to couples and families experiencing discrimination and racial trauma, and using Black cultural strengths as therapeutic resources.

Language: en

Keywords

Black Lives Matter; Clinical training; Couples therapy; Family therapy; Racial socialization; Structural racism