Dr Neville Describes Incorporating the Psychology of Radical Healing Framework Into Clinical Practice

Helen A Neville, PhD, professor of educational psychology and African American studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, encouraged psychologists to begin incorporating radical healing, a framework that centers the voices of people of color (POC) and challenges oppressive conditions while encouraging individuals to become whole while focusing on the collective, in her virtual The Evolution of Psychotherapy keynote.

Dr Neville said that her “conscious radical healing journey” began on her Fullbright trip to Tanzania, where she realized the disparity between her lived experiences during and before the trip.

“Not only was I exposed to this incredible terrain and the amazing people, but I feel like a hundred pounds had been lifted off my shoulders,” Dr Neville said. “What I realized was that whatever I was experiencing in Tanzania, racism wasn't one of them. I began to understand, not just cognitively but physically and emotionally, and psychologically, the role that racism has played in how I interacted in everyday life.”

There are many critical differences between “liberal/everyday healing” and “radical healing” that Dr Neville outlined. Liberal/everyday healing focuses on the individual’s health and wellbeing, the symptoms of a “wound,” and recognizes the voices of POC as incidental. Conversely, radical healing focuses on the entire system and collective well-being. It also focuses on the root cause of the “wound” instead of the wound itself while centering the voices and experiences of POC.

Alongside what she calls “the dream team,” Dr Neville worked on developing a psychology model of radical healing. The team that developed the Psychology of Radical Healing Framework included: Dr Brianna Friends, Dr Della Mosley, Dr Hector, Adamas, Dr Annihilate Chavez Duenas, Dr Grace Jenn, and Dr Gila Lewis.

The framework of radical healing “takes place within [the] dialectical relationship between interlocking systems of oppression and hate,” said Dr Neville. “Systems of racism, but also how those intersect with gender oppression, heterosexism, and ableism to shape people’s experiences that we know that those conditions shape our income, shape our experiences in schools, our experiences at work. We can’t deny that.”

There are 5 core components of the Psychology of Radical Healing Framework:

1. Critical consciousness

Identifying the root causes of individual and collective oppression then taking action to make a difference or a change by developing a “sense of political efficacy.”

2. Cultural authenticity and self-knowledge

“This involves resisting colonized knowledge and practices as the only way of knowing,” Neville told attendees. This component involves an individual acknowledging and understanding the long history of healing as a people and reflecting on that cultural authenticity. This component “requires a sense of definition and cultural authenticity in which BIPOC [Black indigenious and people of color] are not defined by their oppressors.”

3. Emotional and social support

“POC, in general, belong to collectivistic societies,” Dr Neville said. “Social support is so important as we navigate this world.” This component recognizes the importance of collectivism and the healing properties of a shared story.

4. Strength and resistance

Individuals and communities have the ability to utilize resources to adapt and overcome adversities. Dr Neville mentioned civic centers, community centers, and churches as examples of institutional resources. Cultural resources, for example, are friends and family or religious and spiritual traditions. This component reflects “Black indigenous and people of color’s commitment to living joy-filled lives despite a critical awareness of racial trauma and oppression.

5. Radical hope

“Involves the steadfast belief that the collective capacity contained within communities of color to heal and transform oppressive forces into better futures, despite the overwhelming odds,” Dr Neville said.

There is also a psychological framework of radical hope within the model. “Radical hope involves the steadfast belief that the collective capacity contained within communities of color to heal and transform oppressive forces into better futures, despite the overwhelming odds.” Dr Neville went through the framework with attendees that included descriptions of how collective orientation, individual orientation, the past, and the future are components of radical hope and influences by history, ancestral pride, a sense of purpose, and envisioning possibilities.

Using the Framework In Clinical Practice/Therapy

“While the psychology of radical healing involves more than just individual therapy, there are certain components that can be incorporated into individual psychotherapy or therapy,” said Dr Neville. She offered the audience ways in which they could incorporate each of the 5 components of the model into their practice.

Critical Consciousness

• Help patient “name” what they are experiencing, such as labeling it a microaggression.

• Reinforce agency by encouraging the patient to take action for themselves or connect with others in the community.

• Validate their reaction(s) to the trauma.

Cultural Authenticity and Self Knowledge

• Identify some of the cultural healing methods that the patients practiced growing up that they could incorporate into their current healing. Examples of this are forest bathing, drumming, or ethnic dancing.

Collectivism and Social Support

• Help the patient identify what current social systems are offering them support. If they do not have any, help them to discover ways to create those spaces that will help them to counteract the negativity they are experiencing and to instead feel affirmed and empowered.

Strength and Resistance

• Ask the patient what cultural strengths their family or community has and what ways can they be a part of further cultivating those strengths.

• Tap into what ways the generations before them resisted the discrimination that they faced.

• These conversations help to maintain a connection with family history and strength.

Radical Hope

• Work with the patient to find their meaning and purpose in life and the ways  they can live out that meaning and purpose.
• Remind them that “activists sometimes get so immersed in their activism that there is not room for them to reflect on themselves as individuals” and they must take time to recharge. Talk with the patient about self-care and how it is essential to care for themselves and their community.

“We know that the psychology of radical healing incorporates the rich tradition of community and cultural knowledge and the writings of scholars of color. It's designed to center the voices and strengths of people of color and Indigenous communities,” Dr Neville concluded. “Psychologists, no matter where you're at, can begin incorporating radical healing in therapy.”

Reference

Neville H. Radical healing: psychological interventions with Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Presented at: The Evolution of Psychotherapy; December 1-5, 2021; virtual.