Marginalized Couples in Therapy: Interventions for Healing from Systemic Trauma

Fostering authentic connection between clients living under systemic oppression.

BIPOC and LGBTQI relationships have unique needs because minority stress, racialized trauma, and transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia can compromise one’s ability to feel safe enough to connect to the world and others. Yet, all too often, marginalized couples are let down by conventional therapeutic models which were designed for white, cisgendered, heterosexual clients.

This book puts forth an innovative therapeutic approach specifically designed for working with the impact of systemic oppression in couples therapy. Divided into three parts, therapists will explore systemic trauma, discover ways to build transformative therapeutic postures via the BIOME and PRIDE models, and make use of actionable methods to support clients. By practicing critical consciousness, prioritizing the lived experiences of clients, and moving delicately through the imbalance of power inherent in the therapeutic relationship, clinicians will gain a better understanding of their clients’ intimate relationship experiences, and how best to serve them.

Practitioners are invited to become active agents of change, making this not only a practical guide but also a call to action for fostering a more just and equitable world in which intimacy flourishes for all. 

7 black-and-white illustrations; 3 black-and-white tables

Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP, is a couples and trauma therapist based in Trinidad and Tobago. Dedicated to relational healing, she supports diverse communities and presents internationally, while also founding the Relational Healing Institute and creating the PRIDE model.