Clinical and forensic pathways in the treatment and redress of racial trauma.

OBJECTIVE

Racial trauma, stemming from individual and systemic experiences of racism, has increasingly been recognized as a source of significant psychological and functional harm (Carter, 2007; Mosley et al., 2021). This article examines two frameworks for conceptualizing racial trauma: the diagnostic framework, which emphasizes cumulative trauma and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5-consistent symptomatology, and the psychological injury framework, which focuses on proximal functional impairment and positions harm as an external consequence of race-based discrimination.

METHOD: We review how these frameworks inform clinical treatment, including symptom assessment and therapeutic interventions, and forensic evaluation, including legal redress and mitigation in civil and criminal contexts.

RESULTS

The article highlights points of convergence and divergence between the frameworks, illustrating how each can be applied to different pathways for intervention, treatment, and advocacy.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering both clinical and forensic perspectives provides insight into racial trauma, supports culturally informed practice, and guides mental health and legal professionals in addressing its impacts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).