Anti-Racism Statement
Anti-Racism statement
We are committed to creating a more liberated and anti-oppressive world. We believe it is crucial to explicitly affirm the worth and value of Black lives, and to demonstrate antiracism in our daily work. We know that Black lives matter.
As therapists, we cannot adequately do our work without acknowledging that American culture has been built on a system of white privilege and oppression of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We acknowledge that the mental health field has exploited, ignored, and exacerbated the mental health needs of BIPOC throughout its history. The mental health field has a complex history of being predominately white, cis-male, exploitative, and infused with white saviorism and white supremacy.
Our society and the mental health field have significant work to do in terms of addressing and healing from intergenerational trauma and our racist legacy. We must actively engage in a process of unlearning toxic and racist beliefs we have been explicitly and implicitly taught and actively work to repair, rebuild, and heal while also developing new and better mental health practices.
We are devoted to working against discrimination, oppression, objectification, and exploitation in any form it may take, including racism, sexism, ageism, elitism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, fatphobia, and ableism. We stand firm in our pledge to actively promote values of equity, inclusivity, and cultural humility.
Commitment matters
We are committed to our own ongoing work of acknowledging our implicit biases, listening to and learning from people of color, as well as continuing to understand how we can dismantle racism and support systemic change. We have great appreciation and gratitude for the work of BIPOC activists, scholars, and mental health professionals who have strived to decolonize our field for years. We look to their resources as we commit to intentional, humble, and active anti-racism work in our journey of decolonizing our mental health practices.
We understand that discrimination, prejudice and stigma are detrimental to individual, familial, community, and societal wellbeing and have a damaging impact on our individual and collective mental health. We practice psychotherapy, consultation, and training that affirms the value of difference and recognizes the need for continued growth and learning.