Table Of Contenti
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR MANAGING MICROAGGRESSIONS
“In this fantastic resource, Dr. Williams provides clear examples of how to iden-
tify, prevent, and respond to microagressions in therapy (and daily life). Managing
Microaggressions: Addressing Everyday Racism in Therapeutic Spaces will be re-
quired reading for all therapist trainees I supervise, and I believe that clinicians
at any career stage will benefit from Dr. Williams’ wisdom.”
— CJ Seitz- Brown, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor,
University of Maryland, College Park
“This book is an important reference for instructors, clinicians, and researchers re-
garding microaggressions, and brings needed clarity to common misconceptions
on the topic. Dr. Williams has used her extensive expertise and knowledge
of microaggressions to provide practical vignettes, clinical dialogues, and discus-
sion prompts that will enrich practice and teaching.”
— Matthew D. Skinta, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychology,
Roosevelt University
ii
ABCT Clinical Practice Series
Series Editor
Susan W. White, PhD, ABPP, Professor and Doddridge Saxon Chair in Clinical
Psychology, University of Alabama
Associate Editors
Lara J. Farrell, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Applied Psychology,
Griffith University and Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, Australia
Matthew A. Jarrett, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology,
University of Alabama
Jordana Muroff, PhD, LICSW, Associate Professor, Clinical Practice,
Boston University School of Social Work
Marisol Perez, PhD, Associate Professor and Associate Chair,
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University
Titles in the Series
Applications of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment
of Emotional Disorders
Edited by David H. Barlow and Todd Farchione
Helping Families of Youth with School Attendance Problems
Christopher A. Kearney
Addressing Parental Accommodation When Treating Anxiety in Children
Eli R. Lebowitz
Exposure Therapy for Eating Disorders
Carolyn Black Becker, Nicholas R. Farrell, and Glenn Waller
Exposure Therapy for Child and Adolescent Anxiety and OCD
Stephen P. H. Whiteside, Thomas H. Ollendick, and Bridget K. Biggs
iii
Managing Microaggressions
Addressing Everyday Racism in
Therapeutic Spaces
MONNICA T. WILLIAMS
1
iv
1
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers
the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education
by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University
Press in the UK and certain other countries.
Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America.
© Oxford University Press 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the
prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted
by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction
rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the
above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the
address above.
You must not circulate this work in any other form
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Williams, Monnica T., author.
Title: Managing microaggressions : addressing everyday racism in therapeutic spaces /
Monnica T. Williams.
Description: New York : Oxford University Press, 2020. |
Series: Abct clinical practice series |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020003920 (print) | LCCN 2020003921 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190875237 (paperback) | ISBN 9780190875251 (epub) | ISBN 9780190875268
Subjects: LCSH: Microaggressions. | Race. | Prejudices. |
Discrimination—Psychological aspects. | Behavioral assessment.
Classification: LCC BF575 .P9 W55 2020 (print) | LCC BF575 .P9 (ebook) |
DDC 303.3/85—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020003920
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020003921
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed by Marquis, Canada
v
CONTENTS
Series Foreword vii
Acknowledgments ix
About the Author xi
1. Understanding Racial Microaggressions 1
2. Causes of Microaggressions 35
3. How Microaggressions Are Harmful 43
4. Microaggressions in Therapy 57
5. Assessing the Impact of Microaggressions 83
6. Helping Clients Manage Microaggressions 91
7. Preventing Microaggressions in Therapy (and Life in General) 117
8. Issues and Controversies 135
Appendix A: Demographics Questionnaire (USA) 143
Appendix B: Demographics Questionnaire (Canada) 149
Resources 155
References 157
Index 171
vi
vii
SERIES FOREWORD
Mental health clinicians desperately want to help their clients, and they rec-
ognize the importance of implementing evidence-b ased treatments toward
achieving this goal. In the past several years, the field of mental health care has
seen tremendous advances in our understanding of pathology and its underlying
mechanisms, as well as proliferation and refinement of scientifically informed
treatment approaches. Coinciding with these advances is a heightened focus on
accountability in clinical practice. Clinicians are expected to apply evidence-
based approaches and to do so effectively, efficiently, and in a patient- centered,
individualized way. This is no small order. For a multitude of reasons, including
but not limited to client diversity, complex psychopathology (e.g., comorbidity),
and barriers to care that are not under the clinician’s control (e.g., adverse life
circumstances that limit the client’s ability to participate), delivery of evidence-
based approaches can be challenging.
This series, which represents a collaborative effort between the Association for
Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the Oxford University Press, is
intended to serve as an easy-t o- use, highly practical collection of resources for
clinicians and trainees. The ABCT Clinical Practice Series is designed to help
clinicians effectively master and implement evidence-b ased treatment approaches.
In practical terms, the series represents the “brass tacks” of implementation, in-
cluding basic how- to guidance and advice on troubleshooting common issues in
clinical practice and application. As such, the series is best viewed as a comple-
ment to other series on evidence- based protocols, such as the Treatments That
Work series and the Programs That Work series. These represent seminal bridges
between research and practice, and they have been instrumental in the dissemi-
nation of empirically supported intervention protocols and programs. The ABCT
Clinical Practice Series, rather than focusing on specific diagnoses and their treat-
ment, targets the practical application of therapeutic and assessment approaches.
In other words, the emphasis is on the how- to aspects of mental health delivery.
It is my hope that clinicians and trainees find these books useful in refining their
clinical skills, as enhanced comfort as well as competence in delivery of evidence-
based approaches should ultimately lead to improved client outcomes. Given the
viii
viii Series Foreword
emphasis on application in this series, there is relatively less emphasis on review of
the underlying research base. Readers who wish to delve more deeply into the the-
oretical or empirical basis supporting specific approaches are encouraged to go to
the original source publications cited in each chapter. When relevant, suggestions
for further reading are provided.
In this timely volume, Dr. Monnica Williams brings to light the reality of racial
microaggressions in the therapeutic context. We live in a time of considerable
confusion and controversy about race, culture, equality, and interpersonal sen-
sitivity and aggression. Unfortunately, therapy is not immune from these issues,
and to act as though it is can be harmful to our clients.
In addition to defining the scope of microaggressions and explaining how
their experience is both common and harmful, Dr. Williams provides insightful
commentary about how to try to prevent them from occurring and how to
manage them when they do occur. Useful resources for assessing the impact of
microaggressions and for conducting culturally sensitive intakes are provided.
This volume is likely to be helpful to trainees as well as seasoned clinicians who
wish to provide a respectful and safe therapeutic environment for diverse clients.
Susan W. White, PhD, ABPP
Series Editor
ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank Terence Ching, Jamilah George, Destiny Printz, Imani Faber, and Matthew
Jahn for assistance with therapist dialogue examples. I thank Sonya Faber and
Matthew Skinta for helping with proofreading. I thank Chad Wetterneck for his
support and providing examples of microaggressions. I thank Sophia Gran-R uiz
for help with figures and proofing. I also thank my University of Connecticut
undergraduate research assistants— Jade Gallo, Joel Lopez, Michael Cruz, and
Hayley Rowe— for their assistance and support in this project.
