The Past Is Never Dead, It's Not Even Past: Implications of the Legacies of American Slavery and Genocide for Therapeutic Practice and Treatment-View Presentation

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Video Summary

In the video, Dr. George Woods engages in a conversation with Dr. Benjamin Bowser about the implications of the legacy of American slavery and genocide for therapeutic practice and treatment. Dr. Bowser discusses various outcomes of this legacy, including colorism, child beating, self and racial group hatred, multi-generational trauma, and black-on-black and native-on-native violence. He explains that these outcomes are not adequately addressed in counseling, treatment, and education, and suggests that they should be. For people of color, Dr. Bowser recommends addressing colorism and self-hatred in psychotherapy and addressing multi-generational trauma in family therapy. For European Americans, he suggests questioning racism and white supremacy in therapeutic practices and exploring multi-generational trauma in white families. He also highlights the need to address the widespread gun culture and violence in white communities as a mental health issue. Dr. Bowser emphasizes the importance of recognizing the high cost and negative impact of racism on both people of color and European Americans, and suggests that addressing racism is essential for creating a more equitable and healthy society.

Keywords

American slavery

genocide

therapeutic practice

colorism

multi-generational trauma

black-on-black violence

native-on-native violence

racism

white supremacy

mental health