Name
Racial Trauma and Therapy Outcomes in Systemic Therapy: Examining Therapeutic Alliance as a Relational Mechanism
Description

Racial trauma is increasingly recognized as a critical contributor to psychological distress, yet little is known about how it operates within psychotherapy processes in systemic therapy contexts. This study examined whether therapeutic alliance functions as a relational mechanism linking racial trauma to treatment outcomes in systemic therapy. Mediation models tested the role of alliance in predicting post-treatment depression and anxiety while controlling for baseline symptoms. Contrary to expectations, therapeutic alliance did not mediate the relationship between racial trauma and outcomes. However, racial trauma demonstrated a consistent direct association with improved post-treatment symptoms, suggesting that clients reporting greater racial trauma may experience meaningful symptom reduction in relational therapy contexts.

Content Level
Intermediate
Tags
Cultural Safety and Humility, Social determinants of health or SDoH, Social justice or DEI
Session Type
Poster
Objective 1
Describe the relationship between racial trauma, therapeutic alliance, and therapy outcomes in systemic therapy.
Objective 2
Interpret research findings examining whether therapeutic alliance mediates the association between racial trauma and post-treatment depression and anxiety.
Objective 3
Identify clinical implications for supporting clients experiencing racial trauma within relational and systemic therapy contexts.
Content Reference 1

Carter, R. T. (2007). Racism and psychological and emotional injury: Recognizing and assessing race-based traumatic stress. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(1), 13–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000006292033

Content Reference 2

Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018). The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis.Psychotherapy, 55(4), 316–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000172

Content Reference 3

Anderson, S. R., & Johnson, L. N. (2010). A dyadic analysis of the between- and within-system alliances on distress. Family Process, 49, 220–235.