A talk and diccussion about Dr Isha McKenzie-Mavinga’s new book. A black Empathic Approach to Psychotherapy. Growing from Rage to Compassion Presentation on one of the book chapters followed by an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session to invite discussion with the group.
In This talk Dr Isha will share an introduction to the forthcoming book and offer a space for discussion. She will encourage curiosity and dialogue about the book and its creation. A black empathic approach was created out of a need to engage with therapists about addressing the traumatic impact of racism, in client work, supervision and training.
Empathy is a therapeutic skill that has been taken for granted. It has rarely been viewed in terms of how specifically it can be applied to experience, processing, and emergence from the trauma of anti-black racism.
This book emphasises ways that empathy can feature in addressing and healing anti- black racism. It explores empathy and its connection with compassion, self-learning, coping and self-care. It evaluates action towards the process of transformation and recovery from the specific impact of anti-black racism and its intersectionality’s as this affects therapists and those they work with.
The concept of a black empathic approach suggests an active, conscious approach to encouraging dialogue and discussion, that soothes, empowers, and assists healing of internalised racism and systemic racism.
Inspiration for the book has come from elements of Isha’s personal journey as a psychotherapist and teacher and her passion for influencing the field of psychotherapy and counselling. Excerpts from her personal life and journey from rage to compassion are weaved throughout the book.
This book brings clarity about the concept of a black Empathic approach, and it further enhances a dialogue about the practice of therapies where addressing the impact of racism has been marginalised, due to gaps in training and inadequate supervision. The aim of the book is therefore to give this concept its rightful place in training, practice and supervision of therapies.
Course Content
Presenter
Dr Isha Mckenzie-Mavinga, has thirty-three years’ experience as a Transcultural Psychotherapist, Supervisor, Lecturer, Writer and Reiki Master. As a published writer & poet, she is the author of ‘Black Issues in the Therapeutic Process’ (2009) and ‘The Challenge of Racism in Therapeutic Practice’ (2016). She also co-authored an autobiography’ ‘In Search of Mr Mckenzie’ (1991) She contributed papers and poetry to several anthologies, including ‘The Handbook of Transcultural Counselling and Psychotherapy’ (2011: Ed Colin Lago), ‘Making Research Matter’ (2015: Ed Stephen Goss & Christine Stevens), ‘Intercultural Therapy’ ( 2019: Ed Baffour Ababio & Roland Littlewood), ‘What is Normal’ (2020: Ed Roz Carroll & Jane Ryan).’The International Handbook of Black Community Mental Health’ (2020:Ed Majors, Carberry & Ransaw). ‘Therapy in Colour’ co-editor & contributing author. Mckenzie-Mavinga, Eugene Ellis, Kris Black, Karen Carberry 2023.
Isha has a presentation on the Confer online Module ‘Women on the Couch’ 2020 and has shared her work on various podcasts and at conferences including BME Voices Trauma conference 2020.Recent: Keynote speaker at Hult Ashridge 7thRelational Coaching Conference 2022: Young MINDS round Table discussion 2023.
Isha initiated therapeutic services at the African Caribbean Mental Health Association in Brixton, and at Women’s Trust, working with women impacted by violence in relationships. She was a student counsellor and senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University and taught at Goldsmiths University of London. She has presented Black Issues workshops, based on concepts created during her doctoral research and published in her books. She has presented talks in statutory and voluntary organisations, Universities, prisons and community support projects. As her legacy work, Isha has trained a group of master facilitators to present her concept of a Black Empathic Approach to expand thinking and practice that embraces an emergence from the impact of racism and furthers intersectional, anti-oppressive therapeutic practice in Counselling & Psychotherapy, psychology, and the caring professions.
