169. Microaggressions, Mental Health Disparities, and Racial Trauma with Monnica Williams

by Debbie SorensenOctober 28, 2020

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Microaggressions. These small, often unintentional acts of racism are probably affecting you more than you know! In this week’s podcast episode, Dr. Monnica Williams, author of Managing Microaggressions: Addressing Everyday Racism in Therapeutic Spaces and co-author of Eliminating Race-Based Mental Health Disparities: Promoting Equity and Culturally Responsive Care across Settings, and our co-host Debbie discuss microaggressions in therapy spaces, race-based mental health disparities, and racial trauma. Join us for an informative episode, where we can grow and learn together!

“Good people can and do commit acts of racism.”
Dr. Monnica Williams

Listen and Learn:

What microaggressions are and why they’re so pervasive
The different categories of microaggressions
How microaggressions have affected Debbie and Dr. Williams personally
How self-identity impacts the occurrence and aftermath of microaggressions
How subtle, covert microaggressions impact race-based Mental Health treatment disparity
The psychological impact of microaggressions and racial trauma
Dr. Monnica Williams’s recommendations for the mistakes therapists make in therapy
Dr. Monnica-approved methods for pointing out, apologizing for, and validating the experience of microaggressions if you commit one (as we all do sometimes!)

Resources Mentioned on the Podcast:

Link to our sponsorship page
Follow Dr. Monnica on Twitter: @DrMonnica
Visit Dr. Monnica’s website: http://www.monnicawilliams.com
Dr. Monnica’s blog on psychology today: Culturally Speaking
Dr. Monnica’s book: Eliminating Race-Based Mental Health Disparities: Promoting Equity and Culturally Responsive Care across Settings
Dr. Monnica’s book: Managing Microaggressions: Addressing Everyday Racism in Therapeutic Spaces

About Monnica Williams:

Dr. Monnica Williams is a board-certified, licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapies. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities, and Director of the Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities. She is also the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic, LLC in Tolland, Connecticut, and she has founded clinics in Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Dr. Williams completed her undergraduate studies at MIT and UCLA. She received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Virginia. She was an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry for four years, where she worked with Dr. Edna Foa who is a world renowned expert on OCD and PTSD. She was also a director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities at the University of Louisville.

Dr. Williams has published over 100 peer reviewed articles, books, chapters, and scientific reports with a focus on anxiety related conditions and cultural considerations. She was named one of the top 25 thought leaders in PTSD by PTSD Journal, and she frequently contributes to the public scientific discourse as a media expert. She is frequently featured on PBS, NPR, and the New York times, and she has a fantastic blog on psychology today called Culturally Speaking. Along with Daniel Rosen and Johnathan Kanter, Dr. Monnica co-authored the book Eliminating Race-Based Mental Health Disparities: Promoting Equity and Culturally Responsive Care across Settings. In this episode, we discussed her most recent book, Managing Microaggressions: Addressing Everyday Racism in Therapeutic Spaces. You can learn more about all of Dr. Williams’ work here.