Dismantling Scientific Racism Through Multicultural Empathy
Over the past few years, I’ve grown increasingly passionate about the work of social justice and advocacy in counseling. As a therapist-in-training, I’ve come to see how mental health care must go beyond the therapy room—it must challenge systemic inequities and promote fair opportunities for all. One of the most powerful tools we have in this work is multicultural counseling, which emphasizes empathy, advocacy, and awareness of the diverse contexts that shape every client’s life.
What Is Multicultural Counseling?
Multicultural counseling focuses on providing services to individuals from diverse backgrounds with a non-biased, open-minded approach. It takes into account:
Language and communication styles
Race, ethnicity, and cultural traditions
Gender and sexual orientation
Religion and spirituality
Social class and economic resources
Educational attainment and access to opportunities
Geographic origin, marital status, and citizenship status
This perspective reminds us that no client exists in a vacuum. Each person’s mental health is shaped by the unique blend of cultural, social, and historical factors that influence their lived experience.
At its core, multicultural counseling is about equity and advocacy. It recognizes that to truly support clients, we must also address the social systems that either empower or marginalize them.
The Legacy of Scientific Racism
To understand why multicultural empathy is so vital, we must first understand the harm caused by scientific racism.
In the 19th century, as Darwinism and evolutionary theories became popular in Europe, some researchers distorted these ideas to justify racism. Scientific racism claimed that racial, ethnic, and cultural differences were the result of biological or evolutionary inferiority. In other words, racism was presented as “scientifically proven,” rather than acknowledged as a social construct built to advantage some groups and disadvantage others.
One devastating example: Black and Hispanic women were falsely believed to have a higher tolerance for pain due to centuries of abuse during slavery. As a result, they were often denied adequate pain management in childbirth, leading to disproportionately high maternal mortality rates—a tragic outcome that echoes into modern health disparities.
This belief—that biology could justify oppression—became a tool to entrench systemic racism. By contrast, multicultural counseling rejects these dehumanizing assumptions and instead seeks to understand, respect, and advocate for the diverse communities we serve.
Understanding Disadvantage in Context
When approaching clients from a multicultural lens, it is essential to consider context:
Upbringing: Where and how someone is raised shapes their opportunities, coping skills, and worldview.
Rural Communities: Individuals in rural areas often face economic hardship, limited healthcare access, and higher rates of suicide. These disadvantages contribute to cycles of distress, not because of individual failure, but because of systemic barriers.
Racial Groups: The African American community, for example, continues to endure the generational effects of slavery and systemic oppression. Movements like Black Lives Matter highlight how unresolved trauma can manifest in collective action—sometimes misunderstood as “violence” by those who fail to see the historical and social context. A multicultural lens reframes these responses as attempts at empowerment and healing in the face of centuries of injustice.
Practicing Multicultural Empathy
So how can counselors—and society as a whole—work toward dismantling systemic racism? One way is through multicultural empathy. Chung and Bemak (2002) identify several practices we can adopt:
Show Genuine Interest: Ask respectful questions about a client’s culture, traditions, and experiences. Acknowledging and learning builds trust.
Appreciate Differences: Use affirming statements like “That’s fascinating” or “I understand.” These small gestures validate and honor clients’ identities.
Recognize Psychosocial Adjustments: Understand that decisions for clients from marginalized groups often come with risks and consequences others may never face.
Be Sensitive to Discrimination: Notice microaggressions, discriminatory language, and systemic barriers. Acknowledge the pain they cause and actively work against them.
These practices aren’t limited to counseling. Each of us, in our daily lives, can listen more deeply, respond with empathy, and challenge systems that reinforce inequality.
Moving Forward
Scientific racism may have been rooted in false theories of the past, but its impact still lingers today through inequities in healthcare, education, and justice systems. By practicing multicultural empathy, counselors and communities can begin to dismantle these harmful structures.
This work requires humility, compassion, and courage. It means seeing people not as stereotypes or statistics, but as whole individuals shaped by unique histories and cultures. And it calls us all to advocate for a future where every person has the opportunity to thrive.
