"Black Girl Magic": Understanding Our Misunderstood Black Girls Through Therapeutic Relationship Building
Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
Savannah Chatham County Public School System
Second Presenter's Institution
NA
Third Presenter's Institution
NA
Fourth Presenter's Institution
NA
Fifth Presenter's Institution
NA
Location
Ballroom D
Strand #1
Social & Emotional Skills
Relevance
Social & Emotional Skills
Building therapeutic relationships with young, black female girls who are identified as youth at-risk can foster healthy relationships, positive self image, and improve social functioning in the community, educational, and family setting. Studies have shown if children are nurtured appropriately emotionally, overall well being will increased. Through implicit biases, black girls are racially profiled, discriminated and unable to tap into their potential "black girl magic". As change agents, its our responsibility to break barriers and develop strong ties with our most vulnerable population, our forgotten black girls.
Brief Program Description
BLACK GIRL MAGIC is a popular phrase that celebrates the beauty, power and resilience of black womanhood. Just like "magic" our black girls are often misunderstood and feared. Through implicit biases, stereotypes, and discrimination, many black girls are unable to tap into their full potential. As change agents, it’s our responsibility to break barriers and build therapeutic relationships to tap into BLACK GIRL MAGIC!
Summary
BLACK GIRL MAGIC is a popular phrase that celebrates the beauty, power and resilience of black womanhood. Just like "magic" our black girls are often misunderstood and feared. Through implicit biases, stereotypes, and discrimination, many black girls are unable to tap into their full potential.
I’ve often been asked the following question, “How does someone who does not understand black girls help them?” To begin this process, educators, social workers, therapist, child care workers and any other professional person providing direct service to our black girls have to build a therapeutic relationship that focuses on trust and positive rapport.
Building and maintaining positive rapport is fundamental. Rapport is the name given to the magic that emerges when two people interact to form positive or primarily positive impressions or attitudes toward one another. It is a feeling of sameness and accord threaded with a sense of basic trust (Burns, 2002). Rapport is the building block from which all relationships are constructed.
Cognitive behavior therapy problem solving techniques assist with becoming aware of inaccurate or negative thinking. Furthermore, cognitive behavior therapy guides a person to be able to view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way. After building rapport, you are able to challenge and support children with building awareness of their own thoughts and feelings that directly influence their behaviors.
Children, whether they are black or not, who have strong social and emotional skills perform better in school, have more positive relationships with peers and adults, and have more positive emotional adjustment and mental health (Jones & Bouffard, 2002). Research reviews and meta-analyses find that well-designed, well-implemented social emotional learning programs are associated with positive social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes for children and adolescents (e.g., Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011).
As change agents, it’s our responsibility to establish positive rapport, implement cognitive behavior problem solving, and to build social and emotional skills to facilitate change. BLACK GIRL MAGIC is a powerful force that can help transform the lives of our at-risk black girls.
Evidence
-Social and Emotional Skill Building
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy
- Therapeutic Rapport Building
- Classroom Management
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy
- Building and maintaining positive rapport with children is fundamental. Rapport is the name given to the magic that emerges when two people interact to form positive or primarily positive impressions or attitudes toward one another. It is a feeling of sameness and accord threaded with a sense of basic trust (Burns, 2002).
- Cognitive behavior therapy techniques assist children with becoming aware of inaccurate or negative thinking. Furthermore, cognitive behavior therapy guides a person to be able to view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way. After building rapport, you are able to challenge and support children with building awareness of their own thoughts and feelings that directly influence their behaviors.
- Children who have strong social and emotional skills perform better in school, have more positive relationships with peers and adults, and have more positive emotional adjustment and mental health (Jones & Bouffard, 2002). Research reviews and meta-analyses find that well-designed, well-implemented social emotional learning programs are associated with positive social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes for children and adolescents (e.g., Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011).
Biographical Sketch
The presenter, Phylicia Wilford, is an optimistic, empathetic licensed clinical social worker who is committed to changing the lives of individuals. She is currently a District Behavior Interventionist with Savannah Chatham County Public School System in Savannah, Georgia. Phylicia has extensive experience in children mental health, family services, therapeutic foster care, counseling, training and educational opportunities to professionals, student outreach, diversity and behavior management.
Keyword Descriptors
social, emotional, black youth, black girls, black girl magic, relationship building, therapeutic
Presentation Year
2018
Start Date
3-7-2018 11:15 AM
End Date
3-7-2018 12:30 PM
Recommended Citation
Wilford, Phylicia O. MSW, LCSW, ""Black Girl Magic": Understanding Our Misunderstood Black Girls Through Therapeutic Relationship Building" (2018). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 71.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2018/2018/71
"Black Girl Magic": Understanding Our Misunderstood Black Girls Through Therapeutic Relationship Building
Ballroom D
BLACK GIRL MAGIC is a popular phrase that celebrates the beauty, power and resilience of black womanhood. Just like "magic" our black girls are often misunderstood and feared. Through implicit biases, stereotypes, and discrimination, many black girls are unable to tap into their full potential. As change agents, it’s our responsibility to break barriers and build therapeutic relationships to tap into BLACK GIRL MAGIC!
