In this wide-ranging interview with Dr. Jeff Magnavita, I discuss my life in the field of psychotherapy, and the ways in which I have been transformed by, and, I hope, have transformed the field of psychology. Where to find FREE – View on YouTube
Posts Tagged: cultural-responsivity
Intersectional Feminist Therapy theory and its application in trauma treatment (November 14 and 28, Online)
In addition to providing cutting edge, evidence based trauma therapy, how can mental health practitioners living and working within oppressive systems (like colonialism, patriarchy, white supremacy, heterosexism, or exploitative capitalism) ensure we’re less likely to perpetuate the harms of these systems through our therapy? How can we educate ourselves to support the empowerment and healing… Read more »
Decolonial, liberatory, intersectional feminist therapy: The next step on the path (August 2021-August 2022, On-Demand)
Feminist therapy has, in essence, argued that the entire project of psychotherapy was colonized and corrupt from its inception. The collusion of the “founding fathers” of western psychotherapy with both overt and covert moves by governments to control the behaviors of marginalized persons, as well as reinforce dangerous false narrative of toxic masculinity, are core… Read more »
Why psychology must pay attention to trauma
This presentation, which I recorded in early July, 2021, takes the form of a conversation between myself and Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis, a feminist/womanist trauma psychologist who was then running for the presidency of the American Psychological Association. In it I talk about the centrality of trauma to everything that psychologists do, and the necessity of… Read more »
Evidence-based relationship variables when working with affectional and gender minority clients: A systematic review
This article addresses the challenges of translating the evidence for the effects of the relationship in psychotherapy to work with clients whose intersectional identities are strongly informed by being members of groups marginalized for their sexual or gender orientations. We discuss managing both differences and similarities in the experiences of those offering and those seeking… Read more »
Guideline orthodoxy and resulting limitations of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults: Introduction to the Special Issue
This article is the introduction of one of two special journal issues in which Christine Courtois and I have generated scholarly critiques of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults, writing from the perspective of having been members of the group that generated those guidelines. We explore how our attempts…
This article is a whimsical introduction to the core components of my model of how to be a culturally humble, and possibly competent, psychotherapist as we work with people in the context of their, and our, intersectional identities. In this piece I discuss the problems with the now out-moded “how to treat an alien being”… Read more »Psychotherapy with alien beings: Cultural competence (and incompetence) in psychotherapy practice
Multicultural theories
In this chapter my co-author and I explore the range of multicultural theories that can be integrated into clinical psychology practice. This chapter is one part of a very large and expensive five-volume series, which I suggest getting from your library. Where to find Buy from Amazon Citation Comas-Diaz, L. & Brown, L.S. (2016). Multicultural… Read more »
Feminist and multicultural perspectives in trauma psychology
This is one chapter in a two-volume book series. If you work with trauma survivors it would probably be worth your while to invest in this purchase. This particular chapter discusses the roots of trauma psychology in early feminist practice with survivors of rape, intimate partner violence, and childhood sexual abuse, and considers how and… Read more »
Liberatory counseling in challenging times: How can counseling centers show Institutional Courage (February 20, Evanston IL)
This keynote address will discuss how counseling center therapists, and the systems that support their work, can function in liberatory ways in their work. The questions of divided loyalties – to the university, to the counseling center’s own systems of hierarchy, to staff, to trainees, and to clients – will be considered. I’ll talk about… Read more »
Cultural competence: It’s all about clinical awareness (December 6, Tukwila WA)
This brief workshop for interns and post-docs who are part of the National Internship Training Consortium in the Pacific Northwest, will invite early career psychologists to consider how they and their work are affected by systemic forms of bias and oppression. We will utilize a model of developing cultural humility and compassionate self-awareness to move… Read more »
Cultural competence and cultural humility in the treatment of trauma (September 27, Arlington TX)
This workshop will address two issues central to working with psychotherapy clients; how do we demonstrate cultural humility, so at to move toward greater competence, and how do we integrate that cultural awareness into the treatment of trauma survivors? Since so many people entering treatment have histories of trauma, both childhood complex developmental trauma and… Read more »
Liberatory Models of Psychotherapy Supervision (December 8, Burlingame CA)
There is a dynamic tension between the necessarily hierarchical structure of psychotherapy supervision and the liberatory/egalitarian models of feminist and other liberatory practices. This will be a chance for psychotherapy supervisors who are struggling with this dilemma to discuss this topic with the author of The feminist model of psychotherapy supervision. Come with your own… Read more »
Increasing cultural humility as a path to competence (December 8, Burlingame CA)
This session will be a dialogue between me and Elliott Connie, a psychotherapist who has been instrumental in promoting diversity issues in the world of Brief Therapy. We will engage with one another and with the audience – come prepared to participate. Where to attend Event: Brief Therapy Conference 2018 Sponsoring organization: Milton Erickson Foundation… Read more »
Culturally competent trauma practice (December 7, Burlingame CA)
Just as human beings are not generic, so, too, trauma is an event that is affected by and interacts with people’s intersectional identities. This workshop will introduce participants to a mindful model for understanding how to move towards cultural competence in practice with trauma survivors. We will pay particular attention to therapist countertransference/fragility, and to… Read more »
Culturally competent trauma treatment (October 13, Seattle WA)
This full-day workshop will focus on self-awareness of the therapist’s own intersecting strands of identity, cultural norms and biases and the ability to be sensitive to the nuances of human difference. This model of cultural competence is inherently integrative in that it focuses on people, not theories, and on distress, dysfunction, strength and resilience, not… Read more »
Implementing culturally competent strategies in clinical work with trauma survivors (September 2, Nashville TN)
This workshop will explore clinical strategies for integrating culturally competent practice models into clinical work with trauma survivors. We’ll consider issues of transference and countertransference as they’re affected by the identities of all parties in the room, and explore how to work across both apparent difference and apparent similarities. There will be an emphasis on… Read more »
Cultural competence in the 21st Century (September 2, Nashville TN)
This keynote address will cover elements of emerging models of culturally competent practice for professionals working with mental health and substance abuse populations. I’ll have a particular emphasis on working with trauma survivors in those populations, and on integrating the identity of a trauma survivor into people’s other intersectional identities. Where to attend Event: Trauma,… Read more »
Cultural competence in trauma treatment: Beyond symptoms to the context and the person (March 3-4, Sydney NSW Australia)
The experience of psychological trauma is one that affects humans on somatic, intrapsychic, interpersonal, and spiritual/existential dimensions. Yet almost all of the literature on trauma treatment proceeds as if trauma occurs outside of the social, historical, and political contexts. A problematic consequence of this approach to work with trauma survivors is that while treatment may… Read more »
No easy answers: Ethics and the emphasis on social justice in the practice of psychotherapy (January 15, Atlanta GA)
In this symposium I will be speaking to the specific topic of the ethics of self-care: social justice for the therapist, too. This presentation addresses the thorny ethical conundrum of psychotherapist self-care. I will frame my discussion through the lens of feminist practice and the necessity of justice for the therapist in the context of… Read more »
Cultural competence in trauma treatment (April 19, Oakland CA)
In this workshop I’ll be covering the basics of my mindfulness-based approach to cultural competence, and integrating that viewpoint into paradigms for working with trauma survivors. I’ll also be exploring some of the boundary challenges inherent in working with survivors, and discussing how to develop culturally competent paradigms for understanding what constitutes trauma. Where to… Read more »
21st Century Cultural Competence
This is the audio for a workshop I gave March 2, 2013 at the New School for Social Research in New York City. This workshop introduced participants to an emerging epistemology of cultural competence that focuses on the person of the psychotherapist rather than on the acquisition of information about the Other. Participants were challenged… Read more »
Cultural competence in trauma therapy (March 1, New York NY)
In this workshop I’ll be covering the basics of my mindfulness-based approach to cultural competence, and then integrating that viewpoint into paradigms for working with trauma survivors. I’ll also be exploring some of the boundary challenges inherent in working with survivors. Where to attend Event: CE workshop ICP calendar page that includes information about this… Read more »
Diversity training (October 5, Washington DC)
This is a diversity training offered for the elected officers and committee chairs of the organization to increase their effectives in making the group more welcoming to diverse leadership. Where to attend Event: Executive Board Meeting, Division of Psychotherapy Sponsoring organization: Division of Psychotherapy, American Psychological Association Date: October 5, 2012 Time: 9:00 am –… Read more »
Compassion amidst oppression: Increasing cultural competence for managing difficult dialogues in therapy
This chapter describes my process of learning to relate to a client across barriers of difference and bias, hers and mine alike. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L. S. (2012). Compassion amidst oppression: Increasing cultural competence for managing difficult dialogues in therapy. In M. Goldfried, A. Wolf & J.C. Muran (Eds). Transforming… Read more »
Gender as a factor in cultural competence (August 4, Orlando FL)
Discusses gender dynamics in cultural competence as part of a symposium on development of culturally competent psychotherapy practice. Where to attend Event: 120th Annual Convention Sponsoring organization: American Psychological Association Date: August 4, 2012 Time: 11:00 am-12:50 pm Room: Convention Center Room W312B Venue: Orange County Convention Center City: Orlando, Florida
Cultural competence and forensic issues in working with adult trauma survivors (August 2, Orlando FL)
These are two segments of a full-day workshop on working with adult trauma survivors. Where to attend Event: 120th Annual Convention Convention page for this workshop Sponsoring organization: American Psychological Association Date: August 2, 2012 Time: 1:00 pm-2:50 pm Room: Hilton Orlando Lake Sheen Room Venue: Orange County Convention Center City: Orlando, Florida
Cultural competence in trauma therapy (July 13, Seattle WA)
I am offering this workshop to raise funds for the Fremont Community Therapy Project, the low-fee feminist, culturally competent, queer-friendly, trauma-focused training clinic that I established in 2006. Finally, a chance for Seattle-area colleagues to attend one of my workshops without having to travel out of state! I’ll be covering the basics of my mindfulness-based… Read more »
Cultural competency in treating trauma (June 3, Toronto ON)
This presentation briefly reviews the basic tenets of cultually competent practice with survivors of psychological trauma. Where to attend Event: Trauma talks: Advancing the dialogue on trauma-informed care Sponsoring organization: Canadian Mental Health Association Date: June 3, 2012 Time: 11:00 – 11:40 am Room: Grand Banking Hall Venue: One King West Hotel and Residence City:… Read more »
Cultural competence as the integrating variable: Training the next generation of therapists (May 19, Evanston IL)
This invited keynote address considers how to use cultural competence as a framework for training psychotherapists to be integrative in their approaches to psychotherapy. Where to attend Event: SEPI XXVIII Annual Meeting Sponsoring organization: Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI) Date: May 19, 2012 Time: 1:00-2:00 pm Room: Heritage Ballroom Venue: Hilton Orrington… Read more »
Ethical and cultural competence in work with trauma survivors (April 16, Pullman WA)
Where to attend Event: Invited continuing education workshop Sponsoring organization: Palouse Continuing Education Consortium Date: April 16, 2012 Venue: Holiday Inn Express City: Pullman, Washington
Ethical and cultural competence in work with trauma survivors (February 3, Denton TX)
Where to attend Event: Invited continuing education workshop. Sponsoring organization: Federation of North Texas Area Universities Date: February 3, 2011 Venue: Texas Women’s University City: Denton, Texas
Emotional and cultural competence in the trauma-aware therapist
This course is part three of a three-part series on becoming a trauma-aware psychotherapist. Each course may be read online for free, with the option to purchase CE credits upon completion.
Cultural competence in trauma treatment
This on-line video course describes a paradigm for culturally competent psychotherapy practice, and its integration into work with survivors of psychological trauma. In it I propose that trauma does not occur to a generic human being. Rather, trauma interacts with the unique set of characteristics and experiences that each person brings to their encounter with… Read more »
Multiple identities in context of trauma: Increasing cultural competence
In this recording of a six-hour workshop originally presented live at the annual conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies you will be introduced to a model of identity development which conceptualizes people in terms of their multiple social locations and intersecting senses of self, rather than as a unitary identity as externally… Read more »
Developing cultural competence in psychotherapy practice
This Web Conference introduces listener to my model of culturally competent practice focusing on the self of the therapist. Avoiding guilt and shame, being able to make effective, empowering heart-to-heart connections with clients, and increasing awareness of one’s own non-conscious biases are the focuses of this presentation. Where to find Listen at GoodTherapy.org – available… Read more »
Working with diverse clients in psychotherapy
This chapter considers the particular needs and challenges for therapists working with diverse clients, and discusses a model of cultural competence for effectively working with human diversity. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (2010). Working with diverse clients in psychotherapy. In J.C. Norcross, G. Vandenbos & D. Freedheim (Eds.). History of psychotherapy:… Read more »
Cultural competence: A new way of looking at integration in psychotherapy
This article is based on a keynote address given at the meeting of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration. Using metaphors from Star Trek, I discuss a 21st Century paradigm for understanding culturally competent practice, and describe how this model promotes integrative psychotherapy. Where to find Buy from APA Citation Brown, L.S. (2009)…. Read more »
Cultural competence in the treatment of complex trauma
This chapter offers a very condensed discussion of themes that I treat at length in my book on this topic. I discuss the specifics of treating complex trauma survivors through the lens of my model of culturally competent practice. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (2009). Cultural competence in the treatment of… Read more »
Cultural competence in trauma therapy: Beyond the flashback
In this book I hope to invite readers to become more culturally competent via strategies that reduce shame, enhance self-awareness, and increase understanding of peoples’ multiple and intersecting identities.
Sexuality, lies, and loss: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual perspectives on trauma
An article in which I explore how exposure to homophobia and heterosexism is systemically traumatizing to many LGBT individuals. Where to find Buy from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. (2003). Sexuality, lies, and loss: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual perspectives on trauma. Journal of Trauma Practice,2, pp. 55-68.
The private practice of subversion: Psychology as Tikkun Olam
This is the awards address I gave after being honored by APA for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Public Service. In it I used the Biblical metaphor of “dry bones” as a springboard for exploring external and internal threats to the practice of a social justice-oriented psychology. I use the concept of Tikkun Olam, the Hebrew… Read more »
The meaning of a multicultural perspective for theory development in feminist therapy
Some of my initial attempts to integrate feminist therapy into a model of culturally competent practice. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (1990). The meaning of a multicultural perspective for theory development in feminist therapy. In Brown,L.S. and Root, M.P.P. (Eds) Diversity and complexity in feminist therapy. New York: The Haworth Press.
New voices, new visions: Toward a lesbian/gay paradigm for psychology
My citation classic, in which I used an experience of illness as the stepping-off point for proposing a theory about how the experience of marginalized people could expand psychology’s worldview. My recent article in Psychology of Women Quarterly, A look back at New voices, new visions: The view from here, revisits some of the points… Read more »