BLACK ISSUES IN THE THERAPEUTIC PROCESS
ISHA MCKENZIE-MAVINGA
FOREWORD BY COLIN LAGO
Isha opens her introduction to this book by quoting from a poem by LeRoy Clarke, a Trinidadian artist and poet. She explains that the poem depicts the pace, patience and humility that is needed to understand black issues in the therapeutic process. I have always appreciated Isha as a fellow traveller on the very long and painful road towards equality, absence of discrimination and removal of abuses of power between individuals and groups, particularly between those deemed ‘black’ and ‘white’. There is no doubt that that she has been subject to the pace of the journey, has had to be patient and has demonstrated extraordinary humility in her ongoing development as a colleague deeply devoted to the optimum delivery of sensitive, informed and humane psychotherapeutic practice.
In her original doctoral thesis Isha noted how her own sense of fear and concerns for survival had been frequently raised during the research process and, in reflection, noted:
Ø The importance (from survival to compassion) of her ongoing commitment to development and therapeutic growth, (this process facilitating her own capacity to work openly and acceptantly with a wide range of trainees),
Ø The considerable challenge/s of facilitating groups of black and white counselling/psychotherapy trainees to explore these issues, particularly when strong emotions and issues (such as pain, defensiveness, aggression, projections, silence, allegations and fears of racism, etc.) are released in the group,
Ø The value of having located ‘compassion’ for the many points of view and persons expressing those within this subject.
This book, then, represents the author’s accumulated experience of many years counselling, counsellor training and research. Indeed, this text is based upon Isha’s doctoral research and it constitutes a material outcome of and for concerns that have been deeply personal to her own experience in the world, and which, through teaching and the research process, have found wider resonance and validation in the experiences of others, both black and white.
The author’s own valuing of creativity is wonderfully demonstrated in her use of chapter titles, selected extracts of poetry, images, and therapeutic examples. This use of creativity is exemplified in her approach to the original research, which I had the privilege to read, and in her work on ‘black issues’ with students and staff on the counselling courses she is involved with. It is further evidenced in the suggestions of methods for counselling and psychotherapy trainers to employ in conducting similar ‘awareness’ raising work.
The term ‘black issues’ is usefully defined early in the text and conceptualised within the more frequent attention that has been given, historically, to issues of ‘race’, racism, culture and so on. It is a term that has long been used by Isha and I believe it has now entered the lexicon of trainers and trainees, practitioners and theorists alike as a most useful encapsulating concept within which to explore these complex dynamic phenomena.
This work truly complements other recent research work conducted in this field by colleagues such as:
- Duncan Lawrence, who in 2003 published the results of his survey into race and cultural issues on counselling courses,
- Val Watson, who surveyed the experiences of black students of counselling and psychotherapy courses, (2004),
- Aileen Alleyne, who researched the complexities of introjection and black identity wounding, (2005),
- Harbrinder Dhillon Stevens, who explored anti-oppressive practice in psychotherapy, (2004),
- And Sara Razzaq Bains, who studied the multiple impacts of racism within family and collegial settings. (2008).
Isha’s work has already impacted significantly upon the professional training and research fields. A national ‘straw poll’ of counselling/psychotherapy courses conducted last year by one of the major professional bodies revealed that the majority of courses found tackling the issues that are explored in this book extremely challenging with many recognising that inclusion was, at best, minimal. This text is thus a timely and valuable contribution to the emerging literature on this theme in counselling and psychotherapy and the learning here could also be usefully employed in much other professional training, (e.g. social work, teaching, probation, nursing, etc.)
This book constitutes a most valuable resource to the counselling and psychotherapy field. I trust it will find a wide and appreciative readership.
Colin Lago,
Sheffield.
August, 2008.
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