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9 - Shifting in Black Women: Clinical Implications

from Part III - Core Themes in Black Women’s Stress and Distress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2023

Donna Baptiste  and
Adia Gooden
By
Kumea Shorter-Gooden
Donna Baptiste
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Illinois
Adia Gooden
Affiliation:
Unconditionally Worthy, Co.
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Summary

Drawing on the work of Jones and Shorter-Gooden (2003), we review the concept of “shifting” as it relates to Black women and the contexts in which they live and move. We discuss the ways that Black women may shift in the context of their workplace, intimate, and familial relationships. We highlight how shifting can be unavoidable and automatic for Black women, which can also leave them feeling inauthentic. We share the emotional toll that shifting can take on Black women. This chapter includes specific recommendations to increase Black female clients’ awareness of shifting with strategies to help them settle into authenticity and self-acceptance.

Keywords

shiftingcode-switchingauthenticityinauthenticstereotypesdiscrimination
Type
Chapter
Information
Promoting Black Women's Mental Health
What Practitioners Should Know and Do
 , pp. 214 - 235
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

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