first language or saying that someone is not from a marginalized group because they do not act stereotypically. Microinvalidation occurs when someone attempts to discredit or minimize the experiences of a person from an underrepresented group. For instance, if a Muslim American coworker is sharing a time when they felt disrespected and you interrupt to say they were not discriminated against or start talking about your own experiences to contradict what was shared, it is an example of microinvalidation. Microinsults and microinvalidations generally fall outside of the perpetrator’s conscious awareness. Recent research has suggested that microaggressions interfere with the counseling relationship (Davis et al., 2016; Branco & Bayne, 2020). Therefore, counselors must be aware of what microaggressions are and actively reflect on their attitudes and behaviors within and outside the counseling session. The working alliance between a counselor and a client is based on trust. How do microaggressions impact this working relationship? Several studies have examined the role of microaggressions in counseling (Shaw, 2022). Microaggressions are associated with weaker working alliances, fewer sessions attended, and poorer counseling outcomes (Shaw, 2022). The percentage of racial and ethnic minority clients who reported experiencing microaggressions in counseling in these studies ranged from 53% to 81% (Shaw, 2022). The most common microaggressions committed by counselors included declarations of colorblindness, avoidance of discussion of cultural issues, and denial of their prejudices. Respectful partnerships are developed when the counselor facilitates a dialogue that illustrates an understanding of and attends to the complex dynamics of privilege, oppression, and marginalization present within the counseling relationship and embedded within the larger society. The counselor levels the playing field by conveying respect for the client and the client’s lived reality while inviting the client to enter into an equal partnership with the counselor. The development of respectful partnerships is ongoing and acknowledges that the counselor does not know what the client’s identity, life, or struggles look like but is eager to learn from the client. Further, the counselor developing a respectful partnership recognizes that they may make mistakes and are open to client feedback regarding those mistakes. Institutional and societal change begins with asking questions that help to move individual counselors and institutions forward. Questions that counselors should consider examining include the following: ● How do behaviors within counseling sessions actively challenge any power imbalances and involve communities experiencing marginalization? ● How, as counselors, do we address inequalities? ● How am I extending my responsibility beyond individual clients? ● How am I advocating for policy and practice changes at institutional, community, state, and national levels? ● What institutional structures are in place that addresses inequalities? ● What training and professional development is offered in our institution or community that addresses inequalities? ● How can we engage our community to ensure its voice is heard in this work? (Fisher-Borne et al., 2015, p. 176) These questions serve as a starting point for counselors to pursue actions that address social injustices. Counselors can use their position to advocate for changes within institutions and the broader community. When counselors work with clients toward social justice, they empower clients and create an environment for them to experience wellness that is impossible to achieve within individual counseling sessions.
Evidence-Based Practice: Data shows that a greater frequency of racial microaggressions was significantly associated with greater traumatic stress symptoms, and that school or workplace microaggressions were the type of microaggression that was most associated with traumatic symptoms. Note : From “Challenging definitions of psychological trauma: Connecting racial microaggressions and traumatic stress,” by Nadal, K. L., et al., 2019. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 11(2), 2-16. A variety of microaggressions can interfere with establishing a respectful partnership. When counselors are members of the dominant culture, they are not immune to engaging in microaggressions, defined as brief, everyday unconscious or conscious exchanges that convey denigrating messages to people because they belong to an oppressed group or groups (Nadal, Erazo, & King, 2019; Davis et al., 2016; Sue et al., 2007). There are various microaggressions, including ● Microassault: A verbal or nonverbal attack intended to hurt another, such as name calling or visually ignoring a person. ● Microinsult: Rude or insensitive communication demeaning the person’s heritage, implying that people of color were chosen for a position only because of their minority status. ● Microinvalidation: Excluding or negating the individual’s thoughts, feelings, or experiences, such as telling a person with a disability that she is being too sensitive to her perception that attitudes toward individuals with disability affected a particular interaction (Sue et al., 2007). Microassaults can also appear as jokes that mock or degrade a racial/ethnic group, a disability, or a gender identity. Typically, the person telling the joke will respond with “I was only joking.” Nevertheless, their bias is manifested in their comments/ jokes, which perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Microinsults can look like assuming that someone is not smart based on their appearance or implying that certain groups of people do not have morals. They might even be used to suggest that someone does not belong. This includes assuming that someone will not understand a new process at work because English is not their Institutional and Societal Accountability: Social Justice The counseling session takes place within and reflects the larger culture. Although counseling relationships can undoubtedly aid in the wellness of clients, they do not occur in a vacuum, and health cannot be achieved when social injustice is present. Counselors must use their authority and influence to dismantle institutions and power systems that oppress and traumatize clients based on race, class, disability, LGBTQ status, and other dimensions of diversity (Gallardo, 2014). Counselors must embrace their power due to their position and various other intersecting aspects of privilege (e.g., being male, White, straight, abled, financially stable, and educated). Embracing one’s power allows the counselor to develop “more understanding [of] what this means in the context of one’s life, while subsequently taking actions to lessen pain and suffering in others” (Gallardo, 2014, p. 6). Traditionally some counselors considered issues of social justice outside the realm of their practice; however, by “relegating … social justice discourse to a select few,” the majority of counselors “exclude[d] themselves from embracing their power and the role they play in continuing to perpetuate the very systems that” create oppression, which does nothing to change the status quo and prevents counselors from “synthesis(ing) … efforts to heal communities” and institutions (Gallardo, 2014, p. 5). The counselor practicing within a social justice orientation would not locate the problem within the individual but would look to the environmental factors that contribute to the individual’s actions and reactions (Sue & Sue, 2016).
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Book Code: PYMA2024
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