Week 12 - Community Psychology, Social Justice & Intersectionality
What is Intersectionality?
Intersectionality considers how multiple social identities interact and overlap to influence on individuals experiences and well-being.
Identities do not exist independently of each other, but are interwoven and compound to create unique modes of discrimination or privilege
Intersectionality provides:
Holistic understanding
Clinical relevance to therapy/care
Research implications
Trauma-Informed Practice & Intersectionality?
Trauma informed practice and Intersectionality are deeply interconnected in psychology, mental health, and social services.
Together, they help practitioners provide more compassionate effective and equitable care.
How they relate:
Understanding the whole person
Trauma informed practice recognises how trauma manifest differently, depending on a persons background
Intersectionality explains why trauma affects people differently
Recognising systemic trauma
Trauma-informed practice looks beyond individual experiences to include systemic and collective trauma
Intersectionality analyses these systems and how they disproportionately impact marginalised groups
Avoiding re-traumatisation
Trauma-informed practice emphasises safety, choice, and empowerment
Intersectionality insures equity by recognising that what feels safe may differ between people
Culturally responsive care
Trauma, informed care must be culturally sensitive to be effective
Intersectionality recognises that culture is not an independent dimension, but rather interacts with other identities