Racial Trauma and Affirming Clinical Practice
Race-based traumatic stress — the psychological injury that results from experiences of racism, discrimination, and racial violence — is a clinical reality for millions of clients in every mental health practice. This 2-hour continuing education course prepares mental health professionals to provide affirming, evidence-based care to clients experiencing racial trauma: understanding the spectrum of racial stressors from microaggressions to acute racial violence, the psychological mechanisms through which racism causes harm, validated assessment approaches, evidence-based and culturally adapted treatment frameworks, and the therapeutic relationship considerations that arise in cross-racial clinical work. The course addresses the historical and systemic dimensions of racial trauma, the specific presentations common in racially marginalized populations, and the self-reflective work clinicians must do to provide care that does not inadvertently replicate the invalidation clients have experienced elsewhere.
2
CE Hours
6
Modules
15
Quiz Questions
2
Est. Minutes
What you'll learn
- Define race-based traumatic stress and differentiate it from PTSD using Carter's RBTS model.
- Analyze the role of clinician moral positioning and its clinical consequences for racially diverse clients.
- Apply MSJCC standards and NBCC ethical guidelines to the assessment and treatment of racial trauma.
- Develop culturally affirming case conceptualizations that integrate racial identity and intersectional factors.
- Identify evidence-based interventions appropriate for clients experiencing race-based traumatic stress.
- Construct strategies for sustaining racial attunement and professional accountability in ongoing clinical practice.
Who it's for
Licensed mental health counselors, licensed clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, psychologists, and other licensed providers seeking to strengthen their clinical competence in working with clients who have experienced racial trauma.
Approval & credit
CounselorReady is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP #7760). This course awards 2 NBCC-approved CE hours; a certificate is issued on completion. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CounselorReady is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.