Ep 63 | Developmental Transformation in Expressive Arts Therapies

Today, we chat with Kateri Collins, an Expressive Arts graduate student, about developmental transformation, and how it can support redefining power differentials within expressive arts therapy spaces.

Erica: Welcome, friends! You’re listening to The Feeling is Musical — as presented by the Snohomish County Music Project.  My name is Erica Lee. Today is the second of 2 episodes with Kateri Collins, and we’re chatting about developmental transformation as a strategy for talking about power dynamics and social roles. Please note that this episode includes content about Black racial trauma and white supremacy.

Kateri Collins is an Expressive Arts therapy graduate student at Lesley University. She identifies as a Black queer woman, who wants to fight for both the Black and LGBTQIA community. She is an artist, a musician, a poet, and loves children. She’s very excited to work with young kids doing play therapy in her final year of Clinicals.

[Podcast intro music plays]

Erica: Something else that I wanted to talk about was: in your review, you had mentioned a few different theories and models related to guarding against assimilation into white supremacy, and developing resiliency within African American clients. How did your research - or how is your research impacted your clinical practice, or how you're envisioning your clinical practice? Um, and is there a specific theory or model that really resonated with you?

Kateri: This is a very important like question for me, and I have to say, because of my own personal experience, um one of the theories, which is called racial socialization. Which basically means it's various explicit and implicit messages that provide African American youth and kids with healthy methods of coping with the realities of racism and racial hostility. The reason this is so important: when you teach your kids much younger what racism is - racial discrimination, racial hostility - there's a couple - there's multiple things that can happen. 1: as they get older, it actually helps their mental health.

Erica: Mmm?

Kateri: Um, because when they're not aware of that – when they're told those information beforehand, they're actually able to develop those coping skills later on in life to deal with those hostilities and racism. Also, a lot of this is through storytelling.—

Erica: Mmm—

Kateri: Getting information from um your community members, your family, your church, your teachers, peers, role models, and all of these individuals encourage coping skills. And when these - when all this information is tol, it increases racial pride, it encourages racial pride to like, you know, some people might be, I hate to be, you know, this type of person, or different things depending on what it is, and, as a person of color - a Black person, I can be like, I'm proud to be Black.

Erica: Mmm—

Kateri: Yes, it is hard to be here in this world, but I am proud to be Black. And part of that is through storytelling. As my family - as my mother has told the resiliency of - um our family did come from slaves—

Erica: Mmm—

Kateri: So, telling the history of how our family survived slavery, how they got out of slavery, and, you know, the generations of resiliency, and how the family has tried to create more opportunities for us - like being able to get education and housing. And so, definitely that is so important. And the lack of racial socialization, as mentioned, really can suffer a person's mental health - a Black person's mental health um when those racism, hostility, discrimination comes up later in life.

Erica: Mmm.

Kateri: I also found this to be so, so important to teach these messages at such a young age, because it's something we're gonna deal with regardless—

Erica: Yeah—

Kateri: Even as a baby - I mean unfortunately. It's gonna happen. And so, why not teach these messages at a young age? Why not allow these coping skills to be developed, so that they are better able to handle these issues later on in life? And um, I can say for my own self, that it has be helpful to hear those messages - to become prideful as being a Black person, and um, just having all of that information. And so, it really does make a huge difference.

Erica: Yeah. I think I remember reading in your thesis that - tying back to what we were saying earlier about how important it is that the white therapist - or white clinician is acknowledging their social position, and what they're bringing into the context of that relationship: is also that, and correct me if I am saying this incorrectly, but I think I remember in your writing, you were saying that that also helps support the racial socialization, because if the person can feel that they can talk about it and it's not something, I think, it essentially boils down to like some level of having to feel like it's a secret or their not - can't openly talk about it, then that would detract from or take away from the socialization. Is that an accurate understanding?

Kateri: Yeah. It - it opens up your - I guess your mind, your verbal ability to be like, well - you know, like you said, instead of hiding - because, often times in anything, when you feel that you can't vocalize, internally, it really could destroy you—

Erica: Mmm—

Kateri: When you have to keep secrets. And so, when you're able to have that racial pride, and being able to verbalize, that it really significantly helps: helps your mental health, can help family members, the community to kinda show that it's okay to be Black [chuckles] it's—

Erica: Yeah—

Kateri: It's okay to vocalize. You know, racial trauma is gonna happen. How can we all help each other to learn how to cope?

Erica: Mmm.

Kateri: Because it's unavoidable, unfortunately.

Erica: Yeah. Another - I have so many quotes form this - just writing down quotes like nonstop.

[Kateri chuckles]

Erica: But, another one of the things is - I'll just read it is: "One of the most oppressive tendencies that came out of western therapeutic traditions is establishing western standards as the norm" end of quote. And then in the following pages, you explain that the harm is caused by this, and then the labor that white creative arts therapists place on therapists of color to enact the change. And so then you started discussing developmental transformation as a strategy for beginning conversations about power dynamics and social roles. Can you share more about developmental transformation?

Kateri: Sure. So, when we talk about developmental transformation, um it's actually a technique that's under drama therapy. It allows for the possibility for race to be deconstructed, and the way this process is created is through the opportunity of opening a space that allows for power dynamics and social roles to be played out. So - and a lot of this is actually through body movements - it's kind of a complex [cyuckling] technique. But part of it is um it's like a play space.

Erica: Mmm.

Kateri: So, in drama therapy, you know, you're acting kind of. So the white clinician basically makes an ethical agreement between the 2 of them that hey will create a mutual - you know, they will restrain from against harm and create positive communication - that, during this play, that the white clinician and the um Black client will be engaging in, and part of that is that the therapist really is sacrificing their privileged position as the expert—

Erica: Mmm—

Kateri: By entering into this play space and offering themselves as kinda the play object for the client, and their materials. And why this is so important is because um: by the therapist naming the power differential, as we've mentioned before, it offers the play space to be able to potentially create a better transformation and opportunity to increase trust - for the client to work through huge issues between having a white clinician and being a Black client. And so, it's really - having this play space, as mentioned before, you know, where the white clinician admits, you know, they come from a white supremacy um society—

Erica: Mmhmm—

Kateri: And allowing them to play that out.

Erica: Yeah. It was really interesting to read about - and I appreciate you sharing more - as you're describing it, I understand the like how it comes from drama that I can see ways that that can be adapted to different arts disciplines. And I think it's really important that we're developing - especially in like education systems, and then professional development opportunities for all types of clinicians - that I feel an obligation to keep saying: white clinicians should not keep putting that labor solely on therapists of color. They - y'all have done enough—

Kateri: Yeah—

Erica: Like you're good. We can do more.

Kateri: It's an assumption—

Erica: Yeah—

Kateri: It's an assumption that we have to do it, like it is our job.

Erica: Yeah.

Kateri: It's like, no. Like you said, we've done so much. And, sadly, when white clinicians or white individuals are fighting for another culture, often times, white people will be like, okay, another white person's doing this [chuckles]. I can - maybe I should listen.

Erica: Mmm.

Kateri: And it's - it's a complex system. But yeah, I mean it's - Black people have done a lot. Black clinicians have done a lot. And we just can't do it on our own. We just can't.

Erica: Um, we are coming to the end of our time for today, um so I just have a couple of more things to ask you. My first question to wrap up is: what have you learned in your process that you want to offer to others?

Kateri: Art. It is - it is truly powerful. [Chuckles] Um, it is such a powerful tool. I highly recommend people to engage in some sort of form of art that they feel comfortable doing. A lot of times, people think of art as you have to be this, you know, masterpiece—

Erica: Mmm—

Kateri: Or, you know, this professional—

Erica: Mmhmm.

Kateri: It's not about the product. It's really about the process. Um, it's about what you feel comfortable doing - that the internal healing power of the the arts are just magnificent [chuckles]. And I've seen that in my own life. And - and there's so many forms of art - it's not just one thing. You knoww, you don't have to choose like doing painting, or coloring, or drawing - art can be creating a house.

Erica: Mmm—

Kateri: And I find it liberating when I can do art. Especially in those hard moments where I'm like, I don't wanna talk to anyone right now, but let me, you know - let me color, let me sing, let me write some poetry. And I also wanna really emphasize that art is not just for the rich and white people.

Erica: Mmm.

Kateri: The arts are for everyone—

Erica: Yes—

Kateri: Regardless of your race, gender, economic status - everyone can heal from it and enjoy the arts.

Erica: I love that. In the conclusion to your thesis, you had a couple of poems that you wrote. Would you be willing to read one or both of them to close us out?

Kateri: I would love to read both of them.

Erica: I'll let you introduce them.

Before Kateri closes us out: if you would like to know more about the Music Project, please visit our website at S as in Sam C as in cat Music Project dot org (scmusicproject.org). On our website, you can also find transcripts for every podcast episode. If you want to follow along and receive notifications when new episodes are rleased, we encourage you to subscribe or connect with us on social media @SCMusicProject.

Thanks again to Kateri for being here today. Thank you, listeners, for listening, and we'll talk to you net time.

Kateri: One of my poems is called We Clinicians Need to Be Better. [Reads]

I read the articles

Made me think a lot

And frankly, I'm confused.

Not confused in the material per say

But I guess also

Why

Why are we reading articles written over a decade ago?

Why aren't we reading articles that are more recent?

I mean, are there any recent ones?

If there isn't, why is that?

We are living in 2021

Not 2000.

Things have dramatically changed.

I personally felt a lot of the materials lacking for this day and age.

Personally, there really needs to be a change.

A mix of various pieces most likely

With new things throughout

We should be more aware.

We should know better.

There should be more culturally competent therapists and trainings

Our techniques should focus on meeting the needs of all clients

Regardless of those of color.

But even still

We still have a long ways to go

We should want to be better

We should be better.

Make ethical decisions that are in the best interest of our clients

Despite our personal views and beliefs.

This may bring about consequences

But

You know you've made the best decision because

Your client got the best you could offer.

That's what's important

Making decisions that our colleagues may not like

But we are here to help our clients

So

Let's do that

Culturally and wholesomely

Collectively and lovingly

All we can do is our best

And there is no one answer or perfect way.

Take the steps to handle business

And feel proud of the decisions you make.

Erica: Yay!

Kateri: Um and then the second one um is really personal to my own lie—

Erica: Mmm—

Kateri: Um and it's called My People Bleed For Healing. [Reads]

The year is 2021

I am a Black, disabled woman

In a world where so many hate me

My skin color - just being Black

Angers many.

I am hated without even being personally known

The racial trauma from the continuous hate

Is imbedded in my mind, soul, and body.

The trauma runs deep

The blood of my ancestors still haunt me.

Why must I be filled with trauma

Just because I am Black?

Why do I have to be hated so much?

I can't get away from it.

I can't run

I can't hide

The trauma is continuous and follows me

Wherever I go.

I don't always want to feel traumatized

I, too, want to heal.

My people want

And deserve to be

Healed.

But how? 

When the racial trauma is often a daily experience

And all around us?

Maybe we must get back to our roots to heal

We sang, we danced

We created to express our inner being

And our Blackness as a whole

Done in community

Often intentional.

It is clear it is time to create

Like our ancestors created.

It is time to come back as a community

Be intentional about re-creating the arts

That our ancestors once used to express who they were

Let us heal this intrenched racial trauma

Heal our inner soul

Heal our mind and body

Create until we are free

Let us make our ancestors proud

Create inner healing they could not do.

I am proud to be Black.

And I will allow myself to be free from this pain and suffering.

Erica: Wow. Thank you so much, Kateri, for sharing. I just so appreciate your time and your effort, and being here and sharing what  you know with us.

Kateri: Well I feel honored that you asked me to come on here. So I really - thank you.

[Podcast outro music plays]