Skin Deep: A Relational-Cultural Approach to Colorism for Black Women in Psychotherapy

Appearance is a key target in Black women's devaluation. Yet relatively little attention has been paid to this in the literature of psychotherapy with Black women, particularly with skin tone and hair texture. Colorism, a form of phenotypical discrimination, is rarely addressed or excluded in psychotherapy despite studies that document it as a stressor for Black women. Relatedly, few therapeutic frameworks offer strategies to address colorist marginalization. Guided by relational-cultural therapy, we contextualize colorism in psychological research, offer strategies to address colorism, and honor Black women's identities as well as resistance within psychotherapy. In short, it is imperative that psychotherapists validate Black women's worldview shaped by colorism, explore earliest messages about their appearance from family and community members, and seek to educate themselves about colorism. We offer future directions to expand knowledge on the impact of colorist stigmatization faced by Black women in the United States.