Dynamics of Race, Culture, and Sociopolitical Context in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

This presentation provides a theoretical framework that integrates cultural competence as a core emphasis of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. A historical overview of both psychoanalytic neglect and contributions to understandings of sociocultural context, and specific contemporary psychoanalytic approaches to culturally informed practice, such as the recognition of social oppression and the complexity of cultural identifications, are discussed. Further, the current sociopolitical context and its implications for racial and cultural dynamics in the therapeutic relationship are explored. A case illustration serves to translate culturally informed psychoanalytic theory to practice.