Episode 67: Understanding Racial Stress and Finding Self-Love

Mind Dive

Mind Dive
Episode 67: Understanding Racial Stress and Finding Self-Love
Jun 16, 2025 Season 3 Episode 67
The Menninger Clinic

Every therapist has faced that moment: a young client struggles with discrimination, but you're unsure how to help them name and navigate what they're experiencing. Dr. Ryan DeLapp has created a roadmap for this crucial work through his Racial, Ethnic and Cultural Healing (REACH) Program and his groundbreaking workbook, "Empower Yourself Against Racial and Cultural Stress."
 
What began as an undergraduate term paper on health disparities evolved into Dr. DeLapp's lifelong mission to address the psychological impact of discrimination. Here he shares insights into his approach such as: 

• Using inclusive terminology to create space for education rather than defensiveness
 • Following character stories to help young people identify patterns of cultural stress in their own lives
 • Customizing coping strategies based on individual values, goals, and specific impacts
 • Building an "identity filtration system" to maintain self-worth despite encountering bias
 • Navigating generational differences in how families approach discrimination
 • Balancing validation of parents' lived experiences with their children's current needs
 • Incorporating simple screening questions in clinical settings to open conversations about cultural stress
 • Preparing clinicians through personal growth and comfortable exploration of these topics
 • Moving beyond acknowledging pain to fostering empowerment and self-love
 
Whether you're a therapist seeking to better serve diverse clients, a parent trying to understand your child's experiences, or someone navigating these waters personally, this episode offers invaluable insights into fostering self-love and resilience in the face of discrimination. 

 Listen to Mind Dive podcast wherever you get your podcasts and visit menningerclinic.org for more episodes.

Follow The Menninger Clinic on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date on new Mind Dive episodes. To submit a topic for discussion, email podcast@menninger.edu. If you are a new or regular listener, please leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Visit The Menninger Clinic website to learn more about The Menninger Clinic’s research and leadership role in mental health.