A Black Empathic Approach to Psychotherapy: Growing from Rage to Compassion

This book presents the concept of a black Empathic Approach, an experiential model used as a means of developing powerful feelings associated with racism, such as fear, guilt, and rage, into a useful THERAPEUTIC tool for healing the intersectional impact of anti- black racism and associated oppressions. Providing a framework for training, continued professional development, and therapeutic client work, this book explains the concept of the black Empathic Approach and discusses its usefulness in addressing racialization in a therapeutic context. It helps readers to unpick their use of empathy as a generic concept and develop it as a skill that can be used to assist others in addressing the trauma and impact of racism. Through a series of honest and transparent personal vignettes, Dr. McKenzie- Mavinga shares her own learning experience and personal growth from feelings of rage about racism to developing the approach and transforming pain into compassion. Chapters support processing, engagement and dialogue with contexts of anti- black racism in psychotherapy and counsellor training to provide a powerful framework for therapeutic discussion, teaching, learning and practice. This book is intended for therapists, coaches, support workers, social workers, training institutes, and anyone else attempting to support individuals and groups impacted by racism.

Dr. Isha Mckenzie- Mavinga, Retired Psychotherapist, poet and lecturer, has thirty three years’ experience as a Transcultural Psychotherapist, Supervisor, Lecturer, Writer and Reiki Master. She contributed papers and poetry to several anthologies. Isha initiated therapeutic services at the African Caribbean Mental Health Association in Brixton, and at Women’s Trust, working with women impacted by violence in relationships. She was a student counsellor and senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University and taught at Goldsmiths University of London. She has presented Black Issues workshops, based on concepts created during her Doctoral research and published in her books. As her legacy, she presents talks and trains master facilitators to present her concept of a black Empathic Approach to expand thinking and practice that embrace an emergence from the impact of racism and develop intersectional, anti- oppressive therapeutic practice in Counselling & Psychotherapy, psychology, and the caring professions.