Family counseling: A look at how mental health professionals are healing generational trauma

By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com 

Therapists are emphasizing the importance of family therapy in order to address the generational trauma that exists in the family tree. Black families specifically can benefit through group therapy given the history of complicated dynamics that may be present in certain households.

“Family counseling is very important because it helps define roles,” said Doanld Harris, a mental health therapist for the DHR Institute of Mental Health and the founder of the Manhood Project. “It’s especially important in the Black community because it helps define not only roles but also boundaries. That creates homeostasis, which is a balance. It won’t be perfect, because people are growing. But when boundaries and roles are clearly defined, things can run a lot smoother.”

Mental health professionals like Harris and Dr. Tiara Fennell told the AFRO that many people inside of a household tend to go through certain experiences but each person processes them differently based on age and intellect level.

Some issues between family members can be multiplied by the absence of parental figures in family dynamics, causing relatives to have to assume roles that Harris says they are “not ready for.”

“One of our main goals is to get to a place where people begin to understand each other,” said Fennell, the clinic director for the Center of Healthy Families at the University of Maryland with Ph.D. in human development and family therapy. “If people are willing and open to do that investigation and talk about their experiences and the impact it had on them, it can really shift things for the better in our community.”

Conversations around mental health have become increasingly more common throughout the years, especially among Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. 

“I think the younger generations are way more willing to talk about their emotions and experiences. The issue is, not enough of those young adults know what to do when things get hard,” said Harris. 

Harris emphasized the importance of wisdom as it relates to the generational differences between young adults now in comparison to generations past. 

“There is a lack of spiritual connection to Black family culture. When we have connections with our elders, we can heal those broken pieces,” said Harris. 

Children from elementary through high school are arguably the most open about their internal battles, even resorting to making light of their traumas on social media and making it humorous. Although the vulnerability may be a positive sign, Harris believes it has led to absence of healing power through family and community and an increased reliance on attempting to heal through the internet, resulting in larger issues. 

“Trauma work is very intense and it will force you to dissect all those dysfunctional relationships you had and how they show up in your relationships, love life and eventually your adult life,” said Harris. 

Both family and individual counseling can take place without the aid of a therapist, however, Fennell said. She believes that there are “a lot of different ways to do this work” that isn’t traditional therapy. Spiritual advisors are one way people can begin healing from trauma they may have.

However, Fennell also shared with the AFRO that therapy is not a one size fits all practice. Finding the right therapist can be a journey in itself. 

“Therapy is one of those things that you can customize down to your preference, down to gender, down to race and even sexuality if that is something the client feels is important. I think folks are typically scared about what may come up, but I always tell people you’ve survived so much more. Being real with yourself is the first step to changing the things you want to change,” said Fennell. 

Family therapy may potentially be covered by certain insurance plans, depending on the plan and the service. The Center of Healthy Families at the University of Maryland specifically operates on a sliding scale. 

Students in training do the therapy, giving the center the ability to offer much more affordable rates based on income. 

Fennell said that one of the center’s mission is to “make therapy accessible in that regard.”