A Phenomenological Examination Of Racial Microaggressions In Intraracial Therapeutic Counseling Relationships By Audrey Redding-Raines A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School - Newark in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Public Affairs and Administration Written under the direction of Professor Norma Riccucci and approved by _______________________________ Dr. Norma Riccucci (Chair) _______________________________ Dr. Sherri-Ann Butterfield _______________________________ Dr. Madinah Hamidullah _______________________________ Dr. Quintus Jett Newark, New Jersey May, 2016 © 2016 Audrey Redding-Raines ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION A Phenomenological Examination Of Racial Microaggressions In Intraracial Therapeutic Counseling Relationships By Audrey Redding-Raines Dissertation Chair: Professor Norma Riccucci Public service organizations involved in addiction and/or mental health counseling are becoming more racially and culturally diverse with a growing number of Black individuals serving as frontline workers within these types of organizations. Demographic changes coupled with an ever-increasing cultural diversification within American society has resulted in the Black frontline worker and the client of color engaging in therapeutic dialogues that involve different cultural backgrounds, beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, and/or languages. These types of therapeutic dialogues are persistent features of any competent frontline worker’s approach to honing his or her craft. Therefore, in a society that is rapidly becoming more racially and culturally diverse, combined with the complexities of contemporary racism, racial prejudice, and/or cultural miscommunication, it is extremely important that Black frontline workers begin to understand how their perception of racial microaggressions and how they racially self- identify may influence their decision-making process during the intraracial therapeutic counseling relationship. In addition, public service organizations will also need to embrace these demographic realities by becoming more culturally competent and understand that their employees, especially their employees of color (e.g., Black frontline workers) are part and parcel of a culturally variegated society. As such, the effectiveness of delivery and the quality of service is contingent upon these organizations not only understanding the population that they service but also understanding the population that is doing the servicing. Quantitative results provide some preliminary evidence that the perception of racial microaggressions and the racial self-identification of Black frontline workers, to some extent, play a role in the intraracial therapeutic counseling relationship. Qualitative findings indicate that although racial microaggresions impact the experiential realities of Black frontline workers, those experiences are not brought into the intraracial therapeutic counseling relationship. Findings from this research illuminates its intrinsic value by adding to the cultural competency and social equity discourse in public administration and the cultural competency discourse in the field of addiction counseling education. ii DEDICATION To My Family: To my beloved mommy, Rebecca Delores Wright-Williams, in your memory, Various times throughout this journey, I have wanted to throw my hands up and walk away or at least take a very long break, however, your precious words, as only you can say, “Build a bridge and get over it” kept invading my thoughts. So mommy, I want you to know that I finally built that bridge and TODAY, I have crossed over it. Because of the foundation that you laid and the unselfish LOVE and dedication that you have shown me your entire life, I am who I am and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the life lessons you have taught me. I LOVE you and miss you more than words can ever be expressed! You are truly the wind beneath my wings. To my beloved son, Andrew Jerrod Kelly, in your memory, Abraham Lincoln once said: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years” and so, for twenty-seven years, eight months, twenty-two days, and ten hours, you walked this earth and left a legacy that touched all you came in contact with. My precious road dog, through this journey with you, I learned to embody the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.” Thank you for all the life lessons that you gave to me; a mother could not have asked for a better son and for that; I know I have been truly blessed by the hand of God. Just know my son, that TODAY, I have copied all that my eyes have witnessed and pasted all that defined my heart. I made it! I LOVE you and miss you so, so very much! iii To my Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for allowing me to be the mother to such a wonderful and gifted individual. To my beloved daughter, Seniar Monáy Raines As I traversed along this journey, it was you who kept me going with your beautiful smile, infectious laughter, and words of wisdom. There were often times when I wondered who was the nurturer? You are truly a Godsend and wise beyond your years. Thank you for the wonderful girlie, girlie times and for reminding me that “Life is not waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about dancing in the rain.” I LOVE you dearly! To my beloved husband, Elliotte Lee Raines I can’t say enough about a man who has been there with me every step of the way; supporting and encouraging me, wiping away my tears, and rubbing my feet; even when I knew you didn’t feel like it, you did it anyway. You always made me feel better and I am eternally grateful to you. I LOVE you more than you will ever know and appreciate you so. Thank you for being the man that you are! May God keep you and bless you. Just know that TODAY my husband; you can NOW officially have your wife back so that you can start dating her again. To all my babies from another mother Thank you all for embracing me and loving me as if I gave birth to each and every one of you. You will never know how much I appreciate your love, your hugs, and your words of encouragement. You mean the world to me and may God bless each of you with the desires of your heart. I continue. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, giving honor to God for giving me the strength and endurance through His omnipotent mercy and grace to complete this arduous journey toward this degree. I did it! Hallelujah and praise God from whom all blessings flow. Drawing on the strength of Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God,” my soul looks back and wonder how I got over. I am gratefully humbled by God’s unconditional love – Thank You Heavenly Father for all You have done and continue to do. Before I express my heartfelt appreciation to my committee members; especially my Chair and mentor, Dr. Norma Riccucci, I would like to thank Dean Marc Holzer and the entire School of Public Affairs and Administration for accepting me into this illustrious program. The guidance and instruction that I received throughout my entire course of study has been immeasurable. To my Chair and unforgettable mentor, Dr. Norma Riccucci, I can’t thank you enough for being there for me and giving me the support and encouragement that I needed to press on. You are cut from a cloth that is irreplaceable and I am thankful to God each day for you being in my life and for setting a great example for me to follow. To Dr. Sherri-Ann Butterfield, words can’t express my deepest gratitude for your guidance and encouragement along the way. I appreciate you more than you will ever know and thank you from the bottom of my heart. To Dr. Madinah Hamidullah and Dr. Quintus Jett, I also want to thank the both of you for your support during this dissertation journey. This chapter of my life could not be completed if it were not for my supportive surrogate family within the Department of Social Work at Rutgers University-Newark. I cannot thank Dr. Phylis Peterman, Chair, and my colleagues, Dr. Jason Bird, Dr. Michael v Eversman, and Dr. Elizabeth Sloan-Power enough for assisting me along the way. You allowed me to monopolize your time with my questions and concerns, even when you were right in the middle of something. Thanks for the ear and shoulder you offered me throughout this process; I appreciate it more than you will ever know. In addition, Gwen Porter-Barnes, Carol Dobos, Miriam Jackson, the work study support staff, and all my Social Work students were also there with their words of encouragement. I am truly humbled and blessed by the love and support shown by all. To my friend, my brother, and my colleague, Jermaine Monk, we have climbed this mountain together and I can’t imagine taking this climb with anyone else but you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for me and with me throughout this journey. We made it! To Jean Pryor, thank you for being my friend and letting me know that “This too shall pass.” I would be remiss, if I did not send my love and appreciation to five phenomenal women; Gail Daniels, Madelene Perez, Melissa Rivera, Danese Spence, and Sharon Stroye. Every time I went to the School of Public Affairs and Administration, these women were always accommodating with their words of encouragement and support, and for that, I am deeply grateful. I would also like to thank, Jody Polidora for assisting me with obtaining the treatment provider list needed to get the ball rolling.