Sending Paraprofessionals Out as Sheep to a Pack of Wolves: A Professional Reflection
Keywords:
BMSM, paraprofessionals, clinical supervision, clinical trainingAbstract
Black and Brown men who have sex with men (BMSM) are often recruited as paraprofessionals to offer risk-reduction counseling services to their communities. Due to the high prevalence of HIV, mental health issues, substance use disorders, and suicidal thoughts among BMSM as compared to the general population, these service providers are often at risk themselves—yet are seldom obligated to receive continuing education or clinical supervision. This reflection shows the importance of providing organized, culturally competent support to paraprofessionals in community- and health-based institutions delivering services to an at-risk and vulnerable community. I demonstrate the implications of offering risk-reduction counseling without adequate clinical support. I also discuss what a successful supervisor of BMSM paraprofessionals might look like. Finally, I discuss what BMSM paraprofessionals need to succeed when delivering care and examine how unaddressed personal and structural factors can contribute to maladaptive coping in the face of such targeted workplace stressors.
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REFLECTIONS:
NARRATIVES OF PROFESSIONAL HELPING
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