ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a broader perspective of working within group psychotherapy by recognizing the importance of acknowledging with cultural humility, sensitivity, and inclusivity clients who present with marginalized identities. Further, group therapists are called to understand how intersectionality of social identities may have more salience to marginalized clients as well as increase the likelihood these clients may experience more oppression due to societal structures at play. The chapter aims to use Tajfel’s work on social identity theory to understand more about how concepts around “in and out group” or “othering” emerge. Social identities are comprised of cognitive, evaluative, and emotional components and are fluid in nature due to life span development changes and the changing contextual nature of communities and environments. An organizational example follows that involved a group of employees engaging in a staff dialogue/in-service on gender and the impact it has on the organization.
