Page 300 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

274 microaggressive impact on mental health practice

knowledge of minority groups but who is trustworthy will often be forgiven
for their lack of knowledge or expertise. Of course, both expertness and trust-
worthiness are important, but it is possible for helpers to possess expertise,
yet not be able to establish a therapeutic alliance because they are not trusted.
Trustworthiness encompasses factors such as sincerity, authenticity, honesty,
and a perceived lack of motivation for personal gain. Clients of color often
enter therapy with these questions related to trustworthiness: “ Is the helping
professional sincere in his or her desire to help me? ” “Will they be honest in owning
up to their prejudices and biases when working with me? ” “ Will it interfere with our
ability to establish a working relationship? ” “ Will the therapist be open with me rather
than become defensive when race issues/topics are raised? ” Finally, a question in the
mind of many clients of color is “ What makes this White helping professional any

different from my White teacher, White counselor, White neighbor, or White employer,
who professed a desire to help, but wound up stereotyping, disrespecting, and denigrating
my racial/cultural heritage and identity? ”
All of these questions entertained by clients of color and other marginalized
groups are generally tests of “ trustworthiness. ” In the therapeutic session,
culturally diverse clients are likely to engage in actions or make statements
in the form of subtle and overt challenges that are tests aimed at trustwor-
thiness or expertness. Depending how one responds to these challenges in
the therapeutic session will either enhance or negate credibility. When micro-
aggressions come from the speech or actions of the helping professional,
trustworthiness is severely diminished. The following excerpt adapted by
Sue (2006, pp. 60 – 61) from Pedersen ’ s triad training model (1981) illustrates
a test of trustworthiness:
BLACK FEMALE CLIENT: Students in my drama class expect me to laugh when
they do “ steppin ’ fetchin ’ ” routines and tell Black jokes . . . . I ’ m wondering whether
you ’ ve ever laughed at any of those jokes.
WHITE MALE SOCIAL WORKER: [long pause] Yes, I ’ m sure I have. Have
you ever laughed at any White jokes?
BLACK CLIENT: What ’ s a White joke?
SOCIAL WORKER: I don ’ t know [laughs nervously, strained look on face,
constricted tone of voice] . I suppose one making fun of Whites. Look, I ’ m Irish.
Have you ever laughed at Irish jokes?
BLACK CLIENT: People tell me many jokes, but I don ’ t laugh at racial jokes.
I feel we ’ re all minorities and should respect each other.
Asking the question about whether the social worker has ever laughed at a
Black joke is a direct test of honesty and sincerity (trustworthiness). As almost

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