Trauma in Common: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Black Women Clinicians Navigating Racism and Racial Trauma in Clinical Settings

Purpose:
This study examines Black women clinicians' (BWC) personal and professional experiences as they navigate systemic and institutional racism and racial trauma. It explores how racism contributes to chronic stress, burnout, and racialized trauma, and aims to elevate the narratives of Black women clinicians as essential sources of knowledge for shaping how this specialized group cope and work with racism at the forefront of their lives. By amplifying the lived experiences of Black women clinicians, this work aims to inform more equitable approaches in clinical practice, research, and mental health policy, recognizing these clinicians not only as providers of care but as individuals in need of intentional, restorative spaces to heal.

Methods:
Guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT) and grounded in a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, this qualitative dissertation study employed Indigenous healing circles as both a methodology and a restorative intervention. Data were collected via Zoom across three extensive healing circle sessions with 21 Black women clinicians of varying ages and professional backgrounds in Michigan. NVivo was used to code and thematically analyze the data, emphasizing meaning-making through a culturally informed lens.

Results:
Thematic analysis revealed three central patterns: (1) the dual burden of being Black and a woman and enduring racialized harm, (2) the protective function of racial socialization and culturally grounded healing practices, and (3) the significance of community-based spaces, such as healing circles, as critical to Black women clinicians' resilience and emotional coping. Participants described healing circles as both validating and necessary, offering a rare space of safety, connection, and cultural affirmation.

Conclusions and Implications:
Findings underscore the urgent need for institutional and policy-level reforms that recognize and address the compounded stress Black women clinicians face. Culturally grounded, community-based practices such as healing circles should be integrated into clinical training, clinical wellness models, and research design. This work highlights the importance of creating restorative spaces not only for clients but for Black women clinicians and reimagining mental health care for Black women clinicians who are impacted by racism, racial trauma, and race-related stress through a lens of equity, healing, and justice within clinical settings.