Do You See Me? The Compounding Impact COVID-19, Racial Injustice, and White Clients Had on a Black Therapist

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Keywords:

systemic racism, microaggressions, racial injury, racial trauma, inequity

Abstract

The compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic alongside racial unrest in 2020 created an unrelenting need for scholarly analysis of the internal and external impact these experiences had on my life. My daily struggles of being a Black woman in America intensified during these unprecedented societal shifts which impacted my experience as a Black mental health clinician in a predominantly white workspace. This scholarly personal narrative conceptualizes these historical events, examined through the lens of Critical Race Theory. The two vignettes provided are lived experiences and illustrate the ways in which white privilege intersects with prolonged racial unrest—compounded by the deleterious effects of COVID-19 on Black clinicians. This scholarly analysis highlights the negative impact that racial injuries can have on Black clinicians who lack protection from repeated racial offenses. Recommendations for critical self-care practices and implications for future research are provided.

Author Biography

Jamie Perry Ingram, Tulane University

Jamie Perry Ingram, DSW, LCSW, LCAS (she/her) is Adjunct Professor of Diversity and Social Justice, School of Social Work, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (jingram2@tulane.edu, www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jamie-ingram-dsw-lcsw-lcas-281803205).

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Published

2024-11-05

How to Cite

Ingram, J. P. (2024). Do You See Me? The Compounding Impact COVID-19, Racial Injustice, and White Clients Had on a Black Therapist. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 30(`4), 27–42. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1931

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