A Care-Based Approach for Dismantling the Strong Black Woman Schema

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide theoretical and practical application for working with Black women in therapy, especially those who embody the Strong Black Woman schema. The authors will detail the oppressive systemic conditions which create and reinforce this schema, starting in infancy. A historical perspective is adopted to contextualize how the remnants of strength from chattel slavery complicate present day expressions of Black womanhood. The authors discuss the complexity of the Strong Black Woman schema as a way of being that developed out of Black women navigating systemic, generational, and situational violence. Elements of Womanist care and a Black Feminist ethic of care are applied to support Black women’s mental health. The authors discuss how to resist the Strong Black Woman schema as well as affirmingly dismantle the deeply internalized messaging within therapy sessions to incorporate trauma healing and recovery beyond the confines of colonized and misogynistic frameworks. The article concludes with a case example and therapist reflexivity.