Incels, Racism, and the Challenge of Therapeutic Empathy

Conference Strand

Teaching, Training, and Supervision

Abstract

Counseling incels (involuntary celibates) can mean active work in de-radicalizing individuals who hold inflammatory, oftentimes offensive views. This often requires a level of empathy that can be challenging for even the most seasoned counselor, a challenged doubled when incel ideology co-occurs with racist beliefs. We discuss these challenges and offer recommendations for mental health professionals working with incels.

Description

Involuntary celibates or incels are individuals who desire to engage in sexual relationships but cannot due to non-conventional attractiveness, social anxiety, or lack of physical resources (Donnelly et al., 2001). In addition to holding negative views toward women, incels often espouse racist beliefs while weaponizing the language of diversity and inclusion. Recent media attention has brought the reality of incel violence to public awareness, and the propensity for this ideology to spread in online spaces has shown to be a present concern for public health and safety. Counselors and other mental health and human services professionals are uniquely positioned to engage with incels as clients and begin a process of de-radicalization that requires long term engagement, emotional effort, and empathy. However, due to the inflammatory nature of incel ideology, professionals need to be especially aware of potential countertransference when engaging with incels. We present findings from initial research into counselor attitudes toward the incel philosophy and counselor comfort with working with the incel population. Results are presented and discussed in the context of ethical human services and counseling practice. We discuss the challenges and opportunities posed for the training of mental health professionals to work with incels. In this presentation, we provide an intro into de-radicalization frameworks and how they can be used to challenge incels into exploring alternative beliefs and behaviors. We pair this with our own research into empathy building exercises for counselors working with challenging clients.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to summarize the key traits of the incel identity.

Participants will examine their own values in comparison to incel ideology.

Participants will be able to identify values conflicts between counselors and incel clients.

Participants will practice one exercise in building empathy for difficult clients such as incels.

Evidence

Counseling with this population continues to be in early stages. Our presentation has foundations in the following evidence-based treatments: psychoeducation, cognitive behavior therapy, bibliotherapy, and safety monitoring. In addition to our own two studies into incel ideology and counselor empathy, our research base for this presentation includes:

u Donnelly, D., Burgess, E., Anderson, S., Davis, R., & Dillard, J. (2001). Involuntary celibacy: A life course analysis. Journal Sex Research, 38, 159–169. https ://doi.org/10.1080/00224490109552083.

u Glace, A. M., Dover, T. L., & Zatkin, J. G. (2021). Taking the black pill: An empirical analysis of the “incel”. Psychology of Men & Masculinities. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/men0000328

u Hunter, Q., Bickett, T., & Kennedy, A. Learning more about incels by analyzing what they post on the Internet. Manuscript submitted for publication.

u Kocet, M. M., & Herlihy, B. J. (2014). Addressing value-based conflicts within the counseling relationship: A decision-making model. Journal of Counseling & Development, 92, 180–186. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00146.x

u Maxwell, D., Robinson, S. R., Williams, J. R.,& Keaton, C. (2020). “A short story of a lonely guy”: A qualitative thematic analysis of involuntary celibacy using Reddit. Sexuality & Culture. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09724-6

u McWhorter M. R. (2019). Balancing value bracketing with the integration of moral values in psychotherapy: Evaluation of a clinical practice from the perspective of Catholic moral theology. The Linacre Quarterly, 86(2-3), 207–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/0024363919856810

u Shupe, Anson (2011). Deprogramming violence: The logic, perpetration, and outcomes of coercive intervention. In J. R. Lewis (ed.), Violence and New Religious Movements (online ed.) Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199735631.003.0019,

Format

Individual Presentations

Biographical Sketch

Quentin Hunter, PhD, LPC, NCC is an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership & Counseling at Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Hunter is president of the Kentucky Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, a past president of the Kentucky Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities, and associate editor for the Journal of Counseling and Development and the International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling. Dr. Hunter began practice as a professional counselor in 2015 and has worked in higher education since 2018. Dr. Hunter has multiple publications, including peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and edited books. His counseling experience includes work with individuals across the life span in hospital, community counseling, school, and private practice settings.

Anthony Kennedy, BA, is a graduate student in psychology at Western Kentucky University. His research interests are primarily adolescent suicide and involuntary celibates. He has presented at national and international conferences and has several manuscripts that are under review.

Dr. Chris Baxter, PhD, LCMHCA is an assistant professor at Salem State University, a certified school counselor (GA), and a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate (NC). Dr. Baxter has worked across elementary, middle, and high school as a school counselor serving as consultant and/or coordinator on MTSS, 504 and PBIS committees. Additionally, Dr. Baxter is a fierce advocate and ally and uses this knowledge to change culture and dynamics in schools. Dr. Baxter has research interests in and has presented on narrative counseling and supervision, diversity and equity in school counselor preparation, and school counseling research methods.

Dr. Katelyn Gosnell Richey, PhD, LPCA is an assistant professor at Lindsey Wilson College, a former school counselor, and a licensed professional counselor associate. She has experience working in K-12 schools with urban, as well as rural, populations as a school counselor, a school-based counselor, and a supervisor to school-based counselors. Her research focuses on white school counselors' conversations about race, analyzed through a critical race theory and whiteness lens. Katelyn has numerous presentation experiences at the local, regional, and national levels.

Dr. Shaun Sowell, PhD, LMCHA is an associate professor at Western Washington University. Her teaching and research focus on multicultural counseling, with an emphasis on power and privilege, consequences of structural racism, social, historical, and political impacts on counseling outcomes, and training anti-racist and culturally competent counselors. Prior to joining the faculty at WWU, Dr. Sowell was a school counselor who identified, removed, challenged and changed policy within her school which disproportionately affected current and historically under-resourced student populations. She has over 15 years’ experience in creating and implementing programs within P-12 schools and higher educational institutions to address inequities within these systems.

Location

Room 145

Start Date

3-8-2024 10:05 AM

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Mar 8th, 10:05 AM

Incels, Racism, and the Challenge of Therapeutic Empathy

Room 145

Counseling incels (involuntary celibates) can mean active work in de-radicalizing individuals who hold inflammatory, oftentimes offensive views. This often requires a level of empathy that can be challenging for even the most seasoned counselor, a challenged doubled when incel ideology co-occurs with racist beliefs. We discuss these challenges and offer recommendations for mental health professionals working with incels.