Therapist Confidential

Off the Fence, Into the Well: Derrick Paladino on Multiracial Identity and the Art of Crisis Counseling

Therapist Confidential

Show Notes

What do you say when a stranger in line at Universal Studios taps you on the shoulder and announces, “We all have a bet going — what are you?” Derrick Paladino, professor of counseling and department chair at Rollins College, has spent decades turning that question into “me-search.”

He joins Travis Heath to talk about growing up biracial in America, finding (or not finding) yourself in your multicultural textbooks, and why multiracial identity remains “the most complex identity, but the shortest chapter in the book.” The conversation then turns to crisis and suicide work: how Derrick learned the hard way not to stay too long in the well with a client, his “trickle-down reflection” method for asking about suicide in a way that feels human, and what counselors-in-training are facing on today’s college campuses. An episode about stepping off the fence — and knowing when to go deep.

Further Learning Resources

Crisis Counseling: 7 Steps to Effective Intervention

Assessment and Intervention with Suicidal Clients with John Sommers-Flanagan

Multicultural Competence in Counseling & Psychotherapy with Derald Wing Sue

Inviting Racial Conversations into Therapy with Sam Steen and Joy Steen

The System Wasn’t Built for You: Elijah Murphy on Hope, Racism, and PhDing While Black

The post Off the Fence, Into the Well: Derrick Paladino on Multiracial Identity and the Art of Crisis Counseling appeared first on Psychotherapy.net.

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