By Anabel Costa
All good therapy is culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed, said Palestinian-American and Brooklyn-based author and clinical psychologist, Hala Alyan, over Zoom last week.
In an event hosted by the UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Middle East Studies, Alyan sat down with UCSB Communication professor, Walid Afifi, for a conversation on culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed therapy. She described five guiding principles for trauma-informed care and gave advice for those living in difficult or dangerous situations during quarantine – whether in America or abroad.
“Trauma is something that has happened to somebody,” said Alyan. “They have lost a sense of agency, and one of the most important things to give back to a client is that sense of agency.”
UCSB professor Walid Afifi began last week’s Middle East Studies event by introducing clinical psychologist Hala Alyan, and reading a letter of acknowledgment of Chumash land.
Part of giving someone a sense of agency is about keeping them informed and providing a safe space, said Alyan, who also writes books and poetry about identity and the effects of displacement, particularly within the Palestinian diaspora.
With the phrase “safe space” so easily thrown around these day, Alyan opted to define it as a both physical and emotional space where the client has an understanding of the structures and boundaries of the space, and they have consented to them.
Before beginning to work with a client, a clinician must make sure that their basic needs are met — a roof over their head, clean water, access to food, and a safe living environment, Alyan said. Without these things it can be very hard to move forward with therapy or healing from trauma, making safety the first guiding principle. Once safety is established, they can move on to the second principle: choice.
Collaboration is also an essential part of therapy. There is an inherent dynamic that gives the therapist more power than the client, and collaboration helps even the playing field. “It’s about going at the pace of the patient,” said Alyan. “Moving away from ‘I know what you need,’ and more towards what feels important to them.”
UCSB Communication professor Walid Afifi moderated last week’s conversation with psychologist Hala Alyan.
Other key principles are trust and empowerment so the therapist to be a trustworthy presence in the client’s life, which means following through with promises and plans. “Trauma fundamentally alters our perception of the world,” said Alyan. “There is a deep mistrust that comes with a traumatic experience.” Empowerment then creates a healing process that stresses the client’s own resilience, providing an atmosphere that helps them feel validated and affirmed.
Hala Alyan is a Brooklyn-based clinical psychologist, author, and poet who spoke to UCSB’s Center for Middle East Studies last week.
Afifi moved the discussion from the role of clinical professionals to a topic close and personal to almost all of us at this time: self-care in quarantine during this moment of COVID-19, and the economic and social fallout now weighing on communities.
Alyan offered advice for those struggling with mental and emotional health in quarantine, and those who may be trapped in unhealthy or abusive households.
For those quarantining in dangerous living situations, she recommended writing down local telephone hotline numbers, and creating a safety plan with someone they have identified as a safe person. “One of the aspects of abuse is being disconnected from the people you love,” she said. “The pandemic has cut people off even more. It’s important to think of ways you can be connected remotely.”
Even those who are not in a dangerous living arrangement may experience their relationships suffering under quarantine, she said, and urged those who are in situations like that to find both space and time for themselves. Even in a studio apartment, it’s important to designate space to be alone, even if it’s just a corner of the room. “‘Boundaries’ should be the word of the year,” said Alyan. “If you’re quarantined with someone you have a charged relationship with, you need boundaries. Practice walking away from a situation. Practice saying what your needs are.”
Alyan said it’s also important for all of us to find ways to mark the passage of time. She herself sometimes struggles to prevent each day from blending with the next. “Having no delineation of time — we’re not built for that,” she said. It could be something as simple as a weekly walk. “Try to make Tuesday feel like Tuesday.”
Self-care has become a buzzword during a global pandemic, but sometimes it can be hard to know what that means. Alyan offered a definition: “Self-care is whatever reminds you of who you are at your core.” For some that might mean taking a bubble bath, for others it could be having a philosophical conversation, but whatever it is, Alyan reminded her viewers to get creative about taking time for themselves, and to prioritize healing.
Anabel Costa is a fourth year Theater major and Professional Writing minor. She is a Web and Social Media Intern for the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.