ABSTRACT
This chapter invites psychotherapists to apply a socio-contextual frame to their practice, to move from a personal story to a societal one. The author outlines a shift from cultural competence to socioculturally attuned practice and third order thinking and uses a case example to walk through five questions that highlight the socio-contextual nature of client symptoms and the therapist’s role. These questions challenge therapist neutrality and place attention to sociocultural context and equity at the heart of good clinical practice. They illuminate how social power shapes what we know; whose experience is viewed as credible; and how these are reflected in communication, conflict resolution, trust, intimacy, and other clinical concerns and diagnoses. Examples illustrate nuanced intersections between social location, marginalization, and vulnerability and help readers recognize the moment-by-moment influence of race, gender, socioeconomic status, and other social identities. Readers are invited to be accountable for how these contextual influences guide what they are curious about, what they ask, and the kinds of interventions they make.
