Lorraine T. Benuto - Prejudice, Stigma, Privilege, and Oppression : A Behavioral Health Handbook

Clinical psychology as a profession could be justifiably accused of neglecting or at best only obliquely addressing prejudice, stigma, privilege, oppression, and discrimination. Admittedly, it is not clear that any behavioral health profession or health profession for that matter has done any better. While there is no doubt that these problems have existed for centuries and currently exist in manifold ways, the profession of clinical psychology has been relatively indirect at dealing with these. For example, clinical psychologists, with the possible exception of feminist therapists, have not developed standardized and valid measures of the extent to which their clients presenting problems may be due to prejudice and discrimination. However, unfortunately, feminist therapies have also not been sufficiently studied through randomly controlled trials to determine their efficacy and safety (see Chambliss). Clinical psychologists have not developed interventions that directly ameliorate the effects of these problems on our clients. This book provides an overview of potential ways to mitigate this issue.

Clinical psychology as a profession could be justifiably accused of neglecting or at best only obliquely addressing prejudice, stigma, privilege, oppression, and discrimination. Admittedly, it is not clear that any behavioral health profession or health profession for that matter has done any better. While there is no doubt that these problems have existed for centuries and currently exist in manifold ways, the profession of clinical psychology has been relatively indirect at dealing with these. For example, clinical psychologists, with the possible exception of feminist therapists, have not developed standardized and valid measures of the extent to which their clients presenting problems may be due to prejudice and discrimination. However, unfortunately, feminist therapies have also not been sufficiently studied through randomly controlled trials to determine their efficacy and safety (see Chambliss). Clinical psychologists have not developed interventions that directly ameliorate the effects of these problems on our clients. No effective prevention technologies regarding these phenomena have been developed and validated. The diagnostic manual we use is oriented toward individual problems; however, still there is no diagnostic category for something along the lines of psychological problems due to the effects of prejudice, or discrimination, or stigma, etc. Nor is there a category of mental disorder for someone who is virulently prejudiceda KKK member embracing the standard beliefs of the Klan would be not diagnosable as mentally disordered by virtue of those beliefs which seem not only false but also disordered. Admittedly, these issues might be becoming increasingly difficult even to talk about, let alone theorize about or study, partly because of the importance and complexity of these problems but partly also because there is increased scrutiny and consequences for speech or positions that are regarded by some as problematic. Scholarly debate has been chilled due to the uncivil and hostile acts or problematic campus speech codes (see thefire.org ). This book aims to provide a forum for providing discussion on these important topics in a clinically relevant manner. It attempts to help understand how clinical psychologists ought to conceptualize and respond to the prejudice and oppression in clinical and other professional contexts.