Traumatic Invalidation of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ Clients

Our BIPOC and LGBTQ+ clients often face invalidation that goes far beyond personal relationships. In addition to possible invalidation from family or at school, they deal with discrimination built into society itself - from unfair treatment in everyday situations to barriers in accessing services and resources. When others repeatedly deny or downplay their experiences of discrimination and microaggressions, it can make these clients question their feelings and reactions.

This constant invalidation from society can lead clients to internalize negative messages about themselves and develop trauma responses that need careful attention in therapy. As therapists, we must create a space that fully acknowledges these experiences rather than accidentally adding to the invalidation they've already faced. The therapy room needs to be a place where clients can freely discuss how discrimination affects their emotions, and where their cultural background and identity are respected and celebrated.

This is especially important when working with DBT skills like "check the facts," where clients learn to examine whether their emotional reactions match the situation at hand. When a therapist has different life experiences than their client, they shouldn't assume a client is overreacting. Instead, they should remember that BIPOC and LGBTQ+ clients usually understand their situations - and appropriate emotional responses - better than anyone else. Good therapy means staying curious and open and letting clients take the lead in exploring their emotional responses based on their own lived experiences.