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w/ Dennis Portnoy, MFT

What is White privilege? What are some of the related concepts?

How is White privilege a controversial topic and why is there resistance to it?

How can you engage in intrapersonal work related to White privilege with the concept of zhi mian?

What are effective interpersonal strategies for depolarizing  conversations on White privilege?

White privilege is a pervasive issue in contemporary culture. However, the topic of White privilege has become highly polarized. For example, there is evidence that teachers who mention White privilege in their course lectures are likely to receive lower course evaluations as compared to when this topic is not mentioned (Boatright-Horowitz & Soeung, 2009). Even the mention of White privilege in many conversations will evoke defensiveness and anger.

The goal of this presentation is to help therapists become more aware and able to address issues of White privilege in therapy, supervision, training, and social contexts.

The workshop opens with a focus on clarifying White privilege and related concepts, including White supremacy, White fragility, White guilt, color blind and culture-blind racism, cultural humility, tone policing, and other concepts. Consideration will be given to why White privilege is such a controversial topic and clarifying the resistance to it.

Next we will shift to focusing on intrapersonal aspects of White privilege. First, the concept of zhi mian (i.e., to face directly, or face-to-face) will be introduced as a way to engage in intrapersonal work connected to White privilege.

The third part of the workshop focuses on interpersonal aspects of White privilege. This section will begin with an introduction to the concept of anti-racism, including how this relates to White privilege. Next, Schneider’s concepts of the polarized mind and depolarizing will be applied to the concept of White privilege.

The workshop will conclude with a debriefing and time for final questions and discussion as well as providing resources for individuals who want to continue developing their knowledge and skills pertinent to working with White privilege in psychotherapy, supervision, training, and social settings.

Objectives

1. Participants will be able to define White privilege and distinguish it from other forms of privilege.
2. Participants will be able to explain the concept of zhi mian and identify 3 ways it is relevant to White privilege.
3. Participants will be able to identify 2 strategies for depolarizing conversations on White privilege that could be applied in therapy and other contexts.