Discussing racial trauma in therapy remains tricky in the UK

At its best, therapy offers a space for people to talk openly about their lives — this includes the impact of social inequalities. Since the advent of Brexit, researchers have noted a stark increase in the amount of racial harassment, with some organisations recording as much as a fivefold increase in incidents. It follows, then, that racial trauma is only becoming more important for therapists to be equipped to navigate.

As Nicole Samuel and Laura Simonds point out in their latest paper, however, therapists often lack sufficient knowledge, training, and even confidence to handle these topics in such a sensitive situation. We know from previous research that sometimes gaps like this can cause therapists to even avoid such topics, fearing they'll "get it wrong" — and in the process, potentially leaving their clients unable to fully share and explore their experiences.

Writing in Psychology and Psychotherapy, the University of Surrey team explore these experiences. Through interviews with clients who attempted to discuss racial trauma in therapy, they draw out three key themes, each highlighting how therapy can both perpetuate racial harms and provide meaningful, long-term support.

The 28 participants for this study were all Black, Asian, or mixed heritage adults based in the UK who had discussed, or attempted to discuss, issues of racial trauma with a therapist. Most had accessed therapy privately; others did so through the NHS, charities, schools, or universities. Questions focused on how the subject of racial trauma arose, and what it was like to talk about with their therapist.

The first of the three themes identified from these interviews, "the dangers of disclosure", described how disclosing racial trauma often felt unsafe, with anticipated risks in talking about their experiences. As one participant put it, "White people rarely respond well to these discussions, so my expectation was that my therapist would be the same." Participants also expressed concern that they would have to "educate" their therapists on race and racism.

Others worried about being retraumatised by recounting painful experiences, or dismissed when they did choose to share them. Notably, invalidation wasn't limited to White therapists: one participant recalled how, during couples therapy with a Black therapist, her White partner's perspective was prioritised while she was expected to remain "strong" and resilient. This suggests that empathy around racial trauma demands more than just a shared racial identity, and that there are potential benefits for each therapists in examining the specific biases they hold.

The second theme focused on the emotional labour involved in talking about race in therapy. Beyond feeling responsible for educating their therapist, some participants also filtered what they shared in order to protect the therapist's comfort: "There were times the therapist was visibly uncomfortable hearing about the racial injustices that were taking place," one participant noted.

Simply responding empathetically was also not enough to fully meet the needs of clients looking to discuss racial trauma. Some felt frustrated at what they called "broad brush" sympathetic responses, which touched on how difficult the experience of racism is, but failed to adequately engage with its impact.

The team also sought to bring solutions to the fore, with their analyses drawing out the final theme of what made therapy feel safe and supportive. For many participants, being genuinely heard, without dismissal or reinterpretation, was both powerful and rare. Outside of therapy, some noted, they struggled to find this kind of space, making discovering it in a therapeutic setting feel even more significant.

Again, therapists didn't need to be of the same race as clients — although some felt immediately understood by Black practitioners, others mentioned that White therapists with strong conceptual knowledge and cultural competence also allowed them to feel safe. Reflexivity — where therapists acknowledged racial differences and the limits to their own understanding — was key to building that kind of trust.

Ultimately, the study highlights just how healing therapy can be when practitioners work effectively and sensitively with racial trauma. It also challenges the idea that only racially minoritised therapists can properly engage in this topic — in fact, White therapists can play a crucial role, provided they commit to anti-racist practice, education, and self-reflection. As such, the authors stress that these topics need to be embedded throughout training, practice, and policy, to best equip all practitioners to engage with, rather than avoid, these topics.

Read the paper in full:
Samuel, N. K. S., & Simonds, L. M. (2025). Disclosing racial trauma in psychological therapy: Exploring the experiences of racially minoritised people in the UK. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12592

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