Microaggressions and Implicit Bias

Racial microaggressions are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward People of Color. Mental health professionals are often unaware that they have engaged in such communications when they interact with racial/ethnic minority clients. Almost all interracial encounters are prone to microaggressions; I use the White counselor - client of color clinical dyad to illustrate how they impair development of a therapeutic alliance. Suggestions regarding education and training and research in the helping professions are discussed.