“Race, Culture, and the Therapeutic Relationship Amidst Social and Political Turmoil” will focus on culturally-informed psychodynamic approaches to understanding and responding to sociocultural oppression and trauma in psychotherapy. Dr. Tummala-Narra will discuss the impact of culture, race, and racism on the lives of clients and therapists, and explore the prospect of decolonizing psychological concepts such as dependency. These concepts will be discussed in the context of the present-day U.S. and global contexts which are rife with social and political polarization. As Dr. Tummala-Narra has expertise in the areas of immigration and race, there will be a focus on the experiences of racial minority immigrants, including intergenerational differences. She will present both theoretical and clinical case material, followed by Q&A with the audience.

Usha Tummala-Narra, PhD is a Research Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Director of Community-Based Education at the Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute at Boston University. Her research and scholarship focus on immigration, trauma, race, and culturally-informed psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Her publications include over 90 peer-reviewed articles and chapters in books. Recent research has explored the experience of and responses to sexual violence among racial minority immigrant communities, and the experience of racism and related stress faced by Asian Americans. Dr. Tummala-Narra is also engaged in theoretical and clinical scholarship examining sociocultural issues in psychotherapy from a psychodynamic perspective.

Learn more about Dr. Tummala-Narra: https://www.bu.edu/psych/profile/pratyusha-tummala-narra/