Anti-Oppressive Practices
To Our Community,
As therapists, we often tackle difficult subject matter with our clients. There are some topics that we may feel less equipped to deal with or lack the appropriate language for in the moment. However, we are committed to finding resources, engaging in supervision with peers and mentors in our community, and diving into self-reflection to provide the best support possible for our clients in future sessions.
In light of the recent world events (the amplification of the Black Lives Matter movement, the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others), we recognize that more resources on anti-oppression, anti-racism, and social justice are needed for therapists and community members during this time, to both support our work with clients and to stand as allies and amplify the voices of Black therapists, educators, artists, and musicians.
Sensitive subject matters are addressed within these resources that may be uncomfortable to process. If you are easily triggered by sensitive content relating to social injustice, please make sure you take the proper precautions to self-care before proceeding.
When working your way through the list of resources, we encourage you to self-reflect on your own biases, privilege, and how these have shaped your lived experience. We challenge you to go beyond this list. Learn more, understand more, and do more to embrace anti-oppressive practices within therapy. Also, feel free to use this list as a framework and adapt it for your own city/province/organization.
We thank you for your courage and willingness to learn about anti-oppressive approaches to practice. Please share this resource with your colleagues, family, and friends so that we can work toward the collective goal of equitable treatment for all.
In strength & solidarity,
Hayley & Priya
