Critical Race Theory: A Necessary Lens for Clinical Social Work Practice

Overview: Critical race theory (CRT) as a framework acknowledges that racism is pervasive in society. As such, understanding CRT must be considered as an essential analytic tool and clinical lens for Clinical Social Workers to comprehend, how racism impacts the psychological wellbeing of clients who present for clinical social work treatment.Proposal text: Critical race theory (CRT) acknowledges in its theoretical framework that racism is pervasive in society. As such, understanding CRT must be considered as an essential analytic tool and clinical lens to comprehend, how racism impacts the psychological wellbeing of clients who present for clinical social work treatment. This essential lens will help the practitioner to further appreciate the lived and historical treatment of culturally diverse clients. These experiences have psychological consequences and live in the psyche which travels with the individual (Berry Edwards, 2019). The impact influences how they navigate their lives. Understanding and incorporating an understanding of CRT as clinical social workers is imperative and strengthens the practitioner’s ability to orient toward equitable ethical practice when working with Black and Brown clients. It is an important lens that can illustrate the intercentricitiy of race. This framework helps the practitioners to focus on the inequalities and disparities impacting the client and their life opportunities. This understanding of the influence of racist practices on mental health, lifestyle and the deleterious racial experiences impacting significant intersections of lived experiences, i.e., family, work, economic circumstances and intimate relationships is essential. These factors have costly and devastating effects on Black and Brown persons, especially those living in marginalized and medically underserved communities. CRT sheds light, illuminates and clarifies the institutional and structural racism influences such as discriminatory system policies and practices resulting in exclusionary treatment and adverse social, health and mental outcomes. Impoverished medically underserved communities are challenged with long-standing complex health, and mental health disparities exacerbated by the pandemics of racism.
While the profession of Social Work has used CRT as a framework to understand social and behavioral problems there is a concern that the theory is not well incorporated in the field despite the alignment with Social Work goals and ethics (Pullman,2017). Incorporating CRT as a lens for Clinical Social Work practice can be impactful by informing practitioners how racial differences can be understood in diagnostic and clinical practice.
A clinical case example will illustrate the use of CRT and the theories profound impact on understanding the client. The case example explains how this framework can be implemented when conducting Clinical Social Work practice with Black and Brown clients. Implications for practitioners will be provided.