Laura Quiros

Responding to the Sociopolitical Complexity of Trauma: An Integration of Theory and Practice

This article calls attention to the complexity of trauma by enhancing the awareness of the intersectionality of race, class, and gender among oppressed groups, specifically women from marginalized populations, and underscores that consideration of such is essential for the creation of systems of care that are truly trauma-informed. Advancing the integration of theory and practice, we provide a rationale for adopting a postmodern feminist perspective to facilitate the creation of trauma-informed systems of care that take into account the complexity of trauma among this population, leading to comprehensive treatment that furthers the social work mission of social justice.

The Color Paradigm: The Impact of Colorism on the Racial Identity and Identification of Latinas

Existing research has provided scant analysis on the impact of colorism or skin color privilege and stigma on racial identity and identification among Latinos/as. This article explores the dynamics of colorism and the impact on racial identity and identification among Latinos/as of varying phenotypes. The experiences of a subset of eight Caribbean Latinas and one Chicana are used to illustrate how Latinas negotiate their racial identification and survive experiences of both stigma and privilege within the U.S. context. The article concludes with implications for social work research, practice, and pedagogy.

The intersection of identities in supervision for trauma-informed practice: Challenges and strategies

ABSTRACT This article discusses and illustrates the role and impact of the intersection of supervisors’ and supervisees’ social identities and the associated power and privilege within the context of supervision for trauma-informed practice. Based on current theoretical, empirical, and practice literature, challenges related to the supervisor’s and supervisee’s racial, ethnicity, gender, social class, and additional social affiliations are identified, as are strategies for addressing them within supervision for trauma-informed practice. A case example drawn from the authors’ experiences illustrates the importance of attending to intersectionality in trauma-informed supervision Suggestions for future research efforts are offered.

Reflective Practices for Engaging in Trauma-Informed Culturally Competent Supervision

ABSTRACT Race, ethnicity, and culture are critical components that affect and shape the supervisory relationship, yet literature about ways to acknowledge and actively engage them from a trauma-informed approach has been limited. To enhance the discussion of this issue, this article first reviews leading theoretical aspects of supervision designed to train practitioners in the field of mental health, followed by a discussion of race, ethnicity, and culture in supervision and, finally, provides reflective practices for engaging in trauma-informed culturally competent supervision.

Raising the Voice: Teaching Through a Multicultural Lens

Questions pertaining to racial and cultural identification are salient among social work educators in their role as teachers in the classroom. In the context of the 21st century, as an increasing number of people cannot be classified by race, an awareness of the complexities of cultural and racial identity is more important than ever. For social work pedagogy there is a need for critical reflection, increased awareness, sensitivity to multiculturalism, and cultural diversity. As social work educators, it is crucial for us to teach through the lens of multiculturalism and create spaces for voices of students who belie traditional racial and ethnic categories. This article elevates the voices of Black ethnic women, underscoring the complexity of identity construction within the United States. Qualitative interviews explore the dynamic social constructions of identification for 10 women who identify as Black and ethnic, as one example of a nuanced differentiation of race and culture. This article is a discussion of research findings and includes implications for teaching social work practice that broaden our range of understanding and highlight representations of women with marginal identities, thus furthering our social justice mission.

Literature and the Human Condition in Teaching and Learning

ABSTRACT The benefits of literature are countless. Social workers, however, are usually not inclined to count the teaching and practice of social work among its beneficiaries. We believe that literature is one of the ways to enrich vital components of social work knowledge, attitudes, and skills. In this article, we begin by calling attention to a historical precedent for the use of literature in social work education and practice. We then examine recent research on the impact of literature on human behavior, empathy, and critical thinking and consider its epistemological roots. Next, we review evidence from social work journals on the use of literature in teaching and practice. Having examined the relationships of literature to professional knowledge and practice, we devote most of the article to illustrating how, as social work educators, we are and can be using literature effectively in the teaching of social work.