Building Liberatory Connections: Working with Systemic Trauma in Couples Therapy

Presenter

• Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP

Key Hopes for the Session

1. Assessing Impact: Understand the impact of systemic trauma on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and LGBTQI couples.
2. Strategies for New Narratives: Implement strategies to help couples co-author new narratives for their relationships.
3. Understanding Relational Privilege: Identify components of relational privilege and its impact on BIPOC and LGBTQI couples.

Challenges Faced by Marginalized Couples

• Individual and Couple Level Minority Stress: Stress related to race, sex, and gender influences.
• Consequences: Includes increased psychological and physical aggression, higher divorce rates, decreased marital satisfaction, withdrawal, and differential power dynamics.

What is Relational Privilege?

• Definition: The ability to navigate romantic relationships influenced by social location and systemic politics.
• Barriers: Structural oppression, historical trauma, and systemic discrimination hinder marginalized groups from experiencing relational privilege.

Internalized Oppression

• Shame: Described as an emotional ritual necessary for maintaining conditional belonging, tied deeply to identity aspects such as race, gender, and sexual orientation.

Disrupting the Politics with P.R.I.D.E Approach

• P.R.I.D.E Steps:
  1. Pivot
  2. Rumble
  3. Imagine
  4. Develop
  5. Evolve

Five-Step Approach for Couples Therapy

1. Assess Relational Privilege (Relational Curiosity)
   • Includes: Engaging the witnessing mind, understanding the implicit system, and exploring family narratives.
2. Responsible Externalizing
   • Actions: Deepening critical consciousness, recognizing systemic violence, and validating feelings.
3. Setting Intentions: Relational and structural intentions to foster healing.
4. Continuous Trauma Work: Using techniques like SOMOS, Intergenerational Compassionate Network, and Relational Healing Circles.
5. Building Liberatory Connections: Combining emancipatory politics with relational motivation.

Techniques for Trauma Work

• Intergenerational Compassionate Network:
  1. Contact emotional responses.
  2. Adopt a witnessing and compassionate stance.
  3. Identify spontaneous mismatches.

Building Liberatory Connections

• Goal: Convergence of relational and social change, mitigating systemic harm.
• Strategies:
  • Building relational resilience.
  • Developing relational imagination.
  • Decolonizing the relationship.
  • Halting stereotypes.
  • Setting direct requests and boundaries.
  • Cherishing identity and relationships.
  • Engaging in relational naming and 'sitting in the elsewhere'.

Building Relational Resilience

• Focus Questions: Identify protective factors, nurture them, and recognize what the relationship is liberated from.

Final Recap of Five-Step Approach

1. Assess relational privilege.
2. Responsible externalizing.
3. Setting intentions.
4. Continuous trauma work.
5. Building liberatory connections.