The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy What Therapists Should Know About Code-Switching: An Interview with Dr. Jameta Nicole Barlow
What Therapists Should Know About Code-Switching: An Interview with Dr. Jameta Nicole Barlow
Curt and Katie interview Dr. Jameta Nicole Barlow on code-switching. We explore what code-switching is, the mental health impacts of code-switching, and how therapists can support clients who code-switch.
Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!
In this podcast episode, we talk about code-switching
An important conversation about code-switching for therapists. What do we need to know and what can we do to support people who need to code switch?
What is code-switching?
- Shifting how one speaks or behaves to fit into the current situation
- Often occurs with people who do not look like you or are culturally different from you
- Learning to operate differently in different spaces due to being judged based on appearance, behavior, and language
- Choosing which words to use, which has additional layers for multilingual folks
- Much deeper than just linguistic shifts
- Responding to the potential for violent harm when how you typically show up doesn’t fit the current situation’s prescribed norms
- The concept of “professionalism” and who set the standards
- Needing to push back on the norms
What are the mental health effects of Code-switching?
- Anxiety and depression
- Not bringing full self into most spaces
- Hesitation, lack of learning and sharing
- Chronic health diseases connected to cortisol
- Identity concerns, unraveling of identity over time
- Fear of being found out or not being accepted
- High mental load
- Not everyone code switches
Why are people code-switching in professional settings? Or is it still happening?
- Shifts in behaviors during the pandemic
- Letting go of certain social mores on zoom
- Not having to go to work and putting on a professional persona when working remotely
What can mental health professionals due to support clients who code-switch?
- There are not enough Black therapists to see all of the Black clients, so therapists of other demographics need to make sure that they are addressing it
- Going beyond the client having to explain all of their experience or be a cultural translator
- Stay present to the story and clarify later, to allow client to stay in the vulnerability
- Being authentic yourself as a therapist, to create space for imperfection
- Providing reinforcement for the client showing up authentically, their accomplishments
- Getting to IDGAF attitude and testing it out in different spaces
How does Dr. Jameta Barlow push back against the status quo related to code-switching?
- Land acknowledgement
- Grounding in family and cultural history
- Focusing on the history and the experiences of Black women
- No code-switching or requirement for being anything but your full self
Resources for Modern Therapists mentioned in this Podcast Episode:
We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance!
Dr. Barlow’s Website: JametaBarlow.com
Email: JametaWrites @ gmail.com
Information on the concept of Double Consciousness from W.E.B. Du Bois
Article on PsychCentral: Code-Switching: What it is and What it Costs Us
Stay in Touch with Curt, Katie, and the whole Therapy Reimagined #TherapyMovement:
Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits:
Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/
Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano https://groomsymusic.com/