The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy: Toward a Racially Inclusive Model

I n this sensinal book the author asserts that “race and racial identity (i.e., an individual’s level of psychological nsaturation associated with his or her racial group membership) are integral aspects ofpersonahity and human devcbopnsent,” and, as such, racial identity has a powerful impact on psychotherapy. Yet the issue of race is surprisingly missing frons chinical literature, especially considering the strong emotional reactions to race Ol)served in this country. The author, psychologist Robert Carter, does an exemisplamy job of helpimsg the reader disemstanglc race frotss the issues of class, culture, amid ethnicity. Iii the section on theoretical frameworks, the author notes that few theorists or researchers have studied behavioral or cognitive issues in the developnsent of racial identity. Further, he affirmsss that the majority of the literature on the inspact of race in thcrapy, which focuses on countertransfercnce and tramssfcrence, has not beets theoretically derived or empirically tested amid is speculative and biased. In three fascinating chapters, Dr. Carter lists various levels of development O)f racial identity for blacks, whites, atid people with biracial identity, with exansples of how stages of racial identity can be issues affecting both the patient and the therapist during the process of psychotherapy. By presenting a process model of race’s influemscc on psychotherapy, the author illustrates that knowing a patient’s level of racial identity gives therapeutic insight into how racial issues may be manifested in intrapsychic or interpersonal relationships. He argues that “if the goal is to fully understand race in therapy, then an