Mulheres de nosso tempo: as práticas de psicólogas negras na travessia da pandemia

Abstract

This thesis examines the professional practices of Black women psychologists in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, understood as a historical milestone that exposed social and racial inequalities in Brazil, while also mobilizing repertoires of resistance and creativity. The specific objectives were: (1) to analyze the pandemic as a historical context and its particularities for the Black population; (2) to articulate the historical problems identified by Psychology scholars with the professional practices of the study participants; and (3) to describe and analyze the practices, actions, and interventions undertaken to address theoretical, technical, and methodological challenges in psychotherapy. The field research was based on six interviews conducted between 2023 and 2025 with Black women psychologists who began their psychotherapeutic clinical practice between 2020 and 2021 — that is, during the pandemic period. The interviews were analyzed through Thematic Analysis, which enabled the organization of narratives into themes that were then articulated with the scientific literature. The results reveal repertoires of resistance, creativity, and reinvention in response to the narratives of death that marked the pandemic period for the Black Brazilian population. They also show that these professionals, through their practice, confront the historical problems of elitism in Psychology and clinical work in Brazil, pushing its boundaries through their professional experiences. Finally, the findings indicate that, in their everyday clinical work, these psychologists developed strategies to navigate theoretical, technical, and methodological challenges by employing therapeutic resources, reconfiguring the therapeutic relationship, and questioning traditional psychological approaches. Echoing the reflections of Grada Kilomba, as well as decolonial and Black feminist perspectives, the study concludes that the practices of these psychologists not only broaden the understanding of mental health in times of crisis but also contribute to building an antiracist, situated, and socially committed approach to care