Welcome to Community Trauma Conference UK

Introduction to the co-host, Leoni Cachia

David will start from the premise that any examination of racism within the United Kingdom has to recognise the increasing and intergenerational trauma being experienced by Black people and their communities. He will reassert the need for a focus on the issue of racialised trauma through the lenses of our diasporic histories e.g. 400 years of African enslavement, centuries of African, Caribbean and Asian colonialism and the universal struggle for universal human rights. He argues this needs to be a seamless process starting by addressing the current disparities and discrimination experienced by Black people on issues such as criminal justice, school exclusions and health inequalities. These all have huge implication for the mental health of black individuals and the communities in which they reside. 

The psychological and racialised trauma that followed the racist murder of George Floyd and the disproportionate impacts of covid19 on Black communities are already manifest. And this will worsen. David will however argue that the focus being given to race issues in this country, not least due to the Black Lives Matter movement, presents opportunities for change. In supporting the conference’s clarion call for the need to develop new theoretical frameworks, he will contend that this can only be effective through the establishment of meaningful and purposeful collaborations between Black counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists and mental health practitioners. Most importantly this must be in creative partnerships with Black-led organisations, Black communities and Black individuals.  

David views this as part of a necessary conversation about ‘doing for self’, doing things differently.  Fast-forwarding change requires the counselling professions to critically assess the best ways of addressing the current and emerging racialised trauma that continues to damage the mental health of Black communities.  This examination is vital to shaping a new terrain.

“We either own our stories or they own us. Only when we have the courage to own our history are we able to write a brave new ending to our story” Brene Brown . 

We all have a story to share, if as Therapists, we have not explored our own race story, how can we assist our clients to do so? In this experiential workshop, we will explore:

Healing racial trauma through empowerment of story sharing 

The importance of creative expression when words alone are not enough

Creative tools and activities that can be used within the therapeutic relationship 

Please bring some pen, paper and colours to take part in a creative activity 

Being 'race construct aware' primarily involves a willingness to develop a more flexible relationship with our discomfort. We can increase our flexibility around race issues by a gradual process of becoming aware of our patterns of arousal and defence. We will then be more able to stay with what is most important in the race conversation, which is to remain curious and reflective to the hurt and distress experienced by those affected by racism. This paradigm shift would then lead to the natural response we would bring to any hurt we witnessed in another human being without being encumbered by the reality distortion field of the race construct.

This presentation will be exploring the findings and background research into how communities can come together and heal from racial trauma through creative art therapies and encounters. I will also be showcasing suggestions on how we can re-work the therapeutic space to make it more of an intersectional implication for individuals. Now more than ever, it is pivotal that we can explore the impacts of racism that in a way facilitates acknowledgement, empowerment and healing on a communal, international and individual level, especially for the upcoming generation and youth.

Research consistently indicates that the appraisal of racist experiences is related to psychological distress and trauma. These conclusions have largely been drawn from research conducted in the US and there is a limited understanding of how this is experienced in the UK. The current presentation details findings from a qualitative research study conducted with 13 qualified Psychologists in the NHS. The research aimed to explore Psychologists’ understanding of racial trauma, and their experiences of working with service users from Black and Asian racialised communities. The findings reflect the complexity of Psychologists’ experiences as both catalysts for change and complicit members of a systemically racist mental health system. The presentation will consider implications for clinical practice, further research, and policy development.  

Internalised racism is seen as an unconscious process by which individuals assimilate and take in negative behaviours and attitudes aimed towards skin colour, hair texture and physical features. This divisive undercurrent usually gets instilled at an early age and can erode self-esteem.

Hurtful traits of everyday racism can be traced back to the influence of slavery and colonialism. One example is the pecking order based on shadism. Another example is the fear that some people of colour have about challenging white racism. 

White people, due to their membership in the perpetrator group, have also inherited a number of coincidental traits that amount to internalised racism and white privilege, for example white guilt and fear of being singled out as racist. An inability to fully accept the traumatic impact of racism and related feelings, can erode individual self-esteem.This becomes apparent when challenged about their responses to racism.

Live Panel Discussion...