Advocacy Needed for Young Adult Patients of Color from Clinicians' Racial Lens

Abstract

In the field of social work, one of the first lessons we learn is to place the client first. Awareness of our own countertransference is key in identifying and working with our clients. We make sure that we are aware of our emo-tional responses and do not allow these feelings to influence how we may treat our clients. Both transference and countertransference are defined by automatic reactions clinicians may feel toward their patients based on potentially similar experiences, and patients may also feel toward their healthcare team, again based on prior experiences. At certain times, transference can be a positive thing as it allows natural empathy to ensue within clinicians as they work with patients, providing great and empathetic care. On the other hand, it can also be negative, if clinicians are unable to con-trol these reactions and respond in a way that hurts their work or even relationships with respective patients.