The Role of Therapy in Anti-Racism Work

You may have heard that therapy is not the place for politics, and that therapists are obligated to maintain neutrality in the room, regardless of their personal beliefs. It is true that there used to be a time when therapists were trained this way, and this history still finds its way into many or most training programs. Today, there are still therapists who attempt to practice this way. I am not one of them. In fact, my practice is founded on the basis that our mental and spiritual health is intertwined with the ways in which we interact with the world and the world interacts with us- individually and collectively. Our racial identities and experiences are a core part of how the world interacts with us, and we cannot meditate or therapize ourselves out of the reality of racism. 

All therapy is political. Therapists are just people building relationships, and there is no such thing as a truly neutral person. It matters that your therapist believes your experiences of racism, and it matters that your therapist publicly supports anti-racism work. We cannot fall into the trap of thinking that individual work in therapy will bypass the reality of racial inequities, and we cannot expect individuals to heal from wounds that are ongoing. 

There are limits to how much therapy can help you cope with the impacts of racism. Racism impacts mental health, but it is wildly dangerous to believe that therapy and individual coping can function as stand alone interventions to undo its consequences. Overly emphasizing individual mental health is one of the tools of white supremacy. We can diagnose anxiety, depression, or PTSD. We can assign coping skills and worksheets and meditation. But there is a fine line between acknowledging mental health struggles, resourcing its sufferers, and gas-lighting entire groups of people by pretending that there is something maladaptive about their responses to injustice. 

As someone whose entire career is mostly focused on individual work, I am regularly asking myself how my work is contributing to the collective, greater good. Many of my colleagues from my graduate program are doing amazing work as educators, community organizers, activists, and policy change makers. There are times when I, too, can take on these roles and support their work. However, these roles are not my primary calling in life, and as much as I honor this work, I also know it is not what I am best suited for. 

I return the belief that individual healing is one crucial prong of collective healing. In our individual therapy sessions, we are not enacting fast, collective change. But our work is still political, and our work still has a role in overthrowing white supremacy. 

For my Black and Brown clients, I will continue to do my own work unpacking my mixed race identity and light skin privilege outside of the therapy room. In the room, I will honor your rage and heartbreak as much as I honor your joy.  I will encourage you to tune into your intuitive sense of how racism is enacted around you, and I will continue to listen for moments when I feel internalized racism and colonialism speaking. I will support you in distinguishing which parts of you have been buried by these toxic forces. 

I am also here to hold space for those of you who are White, grappling with how to confront your own guilt, privilege, and confusion. Individual therapy is where it’s appropriate to take up space with these questions. We can process, with compassion, your empathy and call to take action. You can make mistakes, stumble, and say the wrong thing. I will do my best to use my training and lived experience to redirect, increase your insight into your own biases, and help connect you to resources beyond my knowledge base.

I work with the most amazing clients, and I want you all to be in the fight for justice for the long-haul. My commitment to you is to not lose sight of this long term vision. That means supporting you in your learning, growth, and rest. I want each of you to be connected to your personal power and unique role in collective uprising, change, and healing. We need this work to be sustainable, and I am here to help you figure out how to make that happen. 

Here is a link to an incredible resource that can help you better define and understand your own role in creating systemic change. I recommend downloading the free PDF and spending some time reflecting and journaling on your own unique role and purpose.