183: Systemic Trauma in Couples Therapy with Akilah Riley-Richardson

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Akilah Riley-Richardson is a published researcher, couples therapist, educator and presenter. I would highly recommend attending her training. I have copied and pasted part of the information page below which is also what we talked about in the podcast.

Find out more about the training here: Systemic Trauma in Couples Therapy

You have a precious opportunity with the couples you see:

You can help them grow their relational imagination — their ability to conceive of the intimacy they are worthy of.

Unfortunately, in many relationships, especially those where one or more partners has a marginalized identity, systemic trauma has made this very difficult.

From homophobia to racism to xenophobia, your clients may be impacted by marginalization… And even they might not be aware of how it is affecting their relationship.

But it does show up in intimate relationships. As hyper-aroused nervous systems, as disagreements about how to handle discrimination, as one partner feeling deeply, traumatically misunderstood.

Any of these responses to systemic trauma can deteriorate the couples’ relational imagination to the point that they feel totally stuck.

For marginalized couples and partners, intimacy is often experienced as an elusive relational privilege.

I have developed a model for assessing and repairing the impacts of systemic trauma that I call the P.R.I.D.E. method. You can use this approach with couples who are reckoning with any kind of systemic trauma or marginalization to lead them to Liberatory Connections, greater intimacy, and increased relational privilege.

The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week.

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle

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