This issue of Smith Studies covers a lot of territory, taking the reader on a wide-ranging journey from an explanation of polyvagal theory and its application to clinical work with oppressed populations, to the application of resilience concepts in clinical practice with children exposed to interpersonal violence, to a description of a psychoeducational group as an immediate response to social disasters, and finally to a report of findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences of social workers of color in racially concordant and racially discordant therapeutic dyads. The first three articles use theory to frame their description of specific vulnerable populations and include case vignettes to illustrate its use in practice.
The first of these articles, “Implicitly Regulating the Stress of Oppression: Re-establishing Safety in Intercultural Practice,” is by Rosie Yap, a clinical social worker from Seattle, Washington, and a postresidency doctoral student at Smith College School for Social Work (SCSSW). Yap offers a must-read article on the use of the neurobiology of arousal and stress to facilitate affect regulation and to establish safety in relationships among clients experiencing repeated stress symptoms from exposure to racial and cultural oppression. What seems particularly striking about Yap’s article is the balancing of neurobiology within the environmental context of oppressed clients. She offers an outstanding presentation of the effects (i.e., somatic and neurobiological symptoms) of racial and cultural oppression in many clients of color. Furthermore, a solid case is made for attending to the biological aspects of trauma to facilitate safety in the therapeutic relationship and increasing awareness of flight, fright, freeze responses that inhibit positive social interaction. Vivid illustrations of hyperarousal and hypoarousal states are presented in the case vignettes that illustrate when and how implicit affect regulation techniques are applied based on polyvagal theory.
“Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly: Applying Resilience Concepts to Practice with Children and Youth Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence,” the second article, written by Ramona Alaggia (associate professor in social work and the Factor-Inwentash Chair in Children’s Mental Health at the University of Toronto) and Melissa Donohue (an MSW social worker in the child and adult mental health field and research associate at the University of Toronto), offers a working definition of resilience to support clinical practice and summarize the resilience research about children exposed to interpersonal violence. Resilience, according to Alaggia and Donohue, “involves a process of recovery, occurring over time, in response to an adverse event and/or ongoing adversity, best understood within a socioecological framework.” It is not a finite quality but one that may continue for longer periods of time whenever adversity is experienced. In the case of children exposed to interpersonal violence, recovery from adverse events may occur immediately after the exposure to violence between parents or later adversities experienced during adulthood. Although the negative effects of exposure to interpersonal violence during childhood are well documented, Alaggia and Donohue highlight research that identifies those intrapersonal, interpersonal, and contextual factors that facilitate resilience in children. Two case vignettes demonstrate the application of resilience concepts in practice with children exposed to interpersonal violence. The article ends with a discussion of the complementarity of using trauma-informed and resilience-informed approaches with a population of children exposed to interpersonal violence.
In “When There Are No Therapists: A Psychoeducational Group for People Who Have Experienced Social Disasters,” Joshua Miller (professor at SCSSW) and Xiying Wang (professor in the School of Social Development and Public Policy at Beijing Normal University) argue that other than natural, technological, and intentional disasters, there is a fourth type of disaster, namely social disasters. They define social disasters as “politically and socially precipitated catastrophes” involving one of three dimensions: devaluation of identity, bullying, and/or ongoing threats. People who are victims of social disasters can exhibit symptoms of stress and trauma. The psychoeducational group the authors describe in this article is one that fosters resilience and strengthens social supports. It is based on a three-session format designed for people who either already know each other or have common experiences and should be offered when there is an absence of trained therapists to provide ongoing interventions. The group sessions focus on understanding psychological and emotional reactions to stress and trauma, techniques for managing trauma reactions, and reiteration of the strategies for managing trauma. The authors caution that while most of the techniques for managing trauma reactions have been empirical tested, they have not been evaluated in this configuration. The authors hope that others will use and refine this model to address other groups in different political and cultural contexts.
Joy Pastan Greenberg (associate professor of social work), Mohan Vinjamuri (assistant professor of social work), Brenda Williams-Gray (associate professor of social work), and Evan Senreich (associate professor of social work), all from Lehman College, in “Shining the Light on Intersectionality: The Complexities of Similarity and Difference in the Therapeutic Process from the Perspectives of Black and Hispanic Social Workers,” report findings from a qualitative study about the experiences of social workers of color in racially concordant and racially discordant therapeutic dyads. While prior studies have examined various aspects of the therapeutic relationship between similar and different racial/ethnic dyads of client and worker, few studies have directly asked Black and Hispanic social workers to describe the impact of these similarities and differences on the therapeutic relationship. Focus groups with 13 MSW graduates and five current MSW students were used to collect data. Five overarching themes were identified in the analysis: intersections of diverse characteristics, language discordance and concordance affecting service delivery, similarity and difference affecting client engagement, assumptions and expectations based on racial/ethnic background, and use of social work skills and use of self when encountering difference between worker and client. Drawing from ethnocultural transference and critical race theory’s focus on intersectionality, the author concludes with implications of these findings for individual and group supervision and continuing education to aid in creating environments where racial/ethnic workers can freely express their beliefs and their experiences will be validated.
One final reflective essay about the legacy and contribution of the SCSSW thesis requirement is also included in this issue. “The Voice from the Shelf: 20 Years After the Smith Master’s Thesis,” written by Banu F. Hummel, a 1997 graduate of SCSSW and university instructor in the psychology department at Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey. Hummell reflects on the importance of opening dialogue and creating cohesion between our different selves by facilitating the development of voice in others. She attributes her continuing efforts to facilitate the development of voice in others to the completion of the master’s thesis and the relationship she developed with her thesis advisor. Hers is a very personal and inspiring story that was omitted from the previous issue.
This issue ends with two book reviews. The first, of Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel, was written by Carter J. Carter, a PhD student and clinical assistant professor at SCSSW and adjunct clinical instructor at Lesley University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences who has also been an instructor at the Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis. This New York Times bestseller may be, as Carter notes, an unusual pick for review in a social work journal. Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama is a memoir of the author’s relationship with her mother while drawing parallels with her relationship with two different female therapists during two courses of psychoanalytic therapy. Bechdel, a lesbian cartoonist, manages to weave complicated references to Donald Winnicott and the work of Virginia Woolf and Adrienne Rich through comic displays that depict her relationships with her mother, therapists, and lovers and gives the reader insight into the black box of psychoanalytic therapy. This is certainly a must-read book.
Karen Zilberstein, also a PhD student at SCSSW and clinical director of the Northampton, Massachusetts chapter of A Home Within, a national nonprofit that provides pro bono psychotherapy for individuals who have experienced foster care, reviews Of Mice and Metaphors: Therapeutic Storytelling with Children (2nd edition) by Jerrold Brandell. Through his book, Brandell provides a how-to-guide for reciprocal storytelling for child psychotherapy. The book provides numerous clinical examples and explanations grounded in principles, theoretical shifts, and techniques of psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy interpreted through the lens of attachment theory. Although quite different in their focus, these books offer readers lessons about personal experiences of psychoanalytic therapy through the eyes of children and adults.
We hope that you find value in this set of articles and book reviews, encourage you to submit manuscripts on pertinent clinical practice, theory, research, and social policy issues, and look forward to your contributions.