Decolonizing Psychological Services
Colonization has been a source of oppression in the ancestral, generational, and personal histories of many of our clients. We aim to deliver our services with intentional decolonization.
Here are some of the ways we do that:
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Recognizing the limitations of Western psychology, which focuses primarily on the individual and the nuclear family of origin. We invite clients to name the larger systems, their macrosystems, that shape their lives, and we treat every client as the expert on their own experiences.
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Acknowledging the power dynamics inherent in the client-provider relationship, and actively working to minimize them.
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Distinguishing between cultural competency and anti-oppressive practice.
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Being transparent, especially when asked, about the intersecting identities, privileges, and lived experiences our providers do and do not hold.
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Using psychological diagnoses with the awareness that they were developed largely from Western, white, cisgender, and heterosexual populations, and that they carry a real risk of pathologizing normal, healthy responses to oppression and trauma.
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Conducting psychological testing with the awareness that most instruments were normed on Western, white, cisgender, and heterosexual populations, while remaining mindful of how that limits the results.
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Holding space for both individual choice and the realities of systemic limitation.
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Allowing for flexibility and fluidity in the modalities we use with each client.
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Supporting clients in cultivating self-care, building networks of community care, and advocating for institutional care.
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Designing our offices and lobby with intention, offering alternative seating, a calming and welcoming atmosphere, and a dedicated prayer and meditation room.
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Honoring our staff's right to observe the holidays that align with their own beliefs, which may differ from those of the dominant culture.
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Returning to these commitments regularly as a team, in conversations about scheduling, referrals, and case conceptualization or consultation alike.
