Bringing It in the Room: Addressing the Impact of Racism on the Therapeutic Alliance

Anjuli S. Maharaj, Nita V. Bhatt, Julie P. Gentile

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

It is well documented that people of color face disparities in access to and quality of healthcare. There are inequities in healthcare outcomes as well. The biases of healthcare providers are one of the many factors that contribute to healthcare incongruence. Often overlooked, race impacts therapeutic relationships and highlights ingrained patterns of binary thinking, thereby creating hierarchies. Some physicians experience anxiety regarding addressing racism, leading to avoidance of its existence and effects on the physician–patient alliance. Others address the dynamics by bringing the patient’s family experiences and lived experience “in the room.” By following the “emotional red thread,” we can bring clarity to the issue of making racism a neutral topic of conversation in treatment. As it has so often in the past, racism should not and cannot be ignored.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)39-43
Number of pages5
JournalInnovations in Clinical Neuroscience
Volume18
Issue number7-9
StatePublished - Jul 2021

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Clinical Neurology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Keywords

  • Countertransference
  • Discrimination
  • Health inequities
  • Healthcare disparities
  • Implicit bias
  • Mental health
  • Psychotherapy
  • Race
  • Structural racism
  • Transference

Disciplines

  • Mental Disorders
  • Other Psychiatry and Psychology
  • Psychiatry

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