A place to start

There is no way, that I as a white woman can, nor should, speak to the impact of racism on black and indigenous communities and I cannot assume that it impacts each person in the same way. There are so many black and indigenous folx who are sharing their experiences, their stories, that I want to turn attention to them. To listen and to trust and to learn how I can be an ally in my work and in my community. My goal is to keep this brief and concrete and focused on how I can do my work better and it is only the starting place.

Here’s what I am keeping in mind:

1- Traditionally counselling and psychotherapy has been rooted in the white medical model of illness that looks at individuals separate from their family and community.This fails to look outside the person who is suffering to the society that normalizes the systemic abuse of black and indigenous people. This is unhelpful.

2- Counselling and psychotherapy continue to be dominated by white people— in training programs and on the front lines. White people live the benefits of racism and have a lot of unlearning to do. Racism causes trauma. Trauma underlies and worsens every aspect of mental health. As service providers, unless we are actively seeking and using anti oppressive practices, specifically antiracist work in our counselling, we are part of the problem.

3- Many counsellors, psychotherapists, and social workers care deeply about each individual story and the community they work within. At this moment I feel outraged, and I imagine many others in this field share these feelings. We believe in the work of antiracism. Believing in it is not enough.

Here’s what I am committed to doing as a counsellor to bring antiracism into my work:

1- I can commit to antiracism as a white ally. This means I am not centred, saving, or fixing anything. To do this I will continue to learn and unlearn, with intention, about how racism impacts counselling and mental health services. I also do not ask to be cared for by the BIPOC community as I learn and wrestle with my own stuff. I must listen and trust black and indigenous communities and centre them. I will promote my BIPOC colleagues who are doing important antiracist work and actively refer to them and their authority.

2- I can remember that every single person exists within a system- a family and community- and the health of each person relies on the health of the entire ecosystem. I will provide counselling that is grounded in anti oppressive, specifically antiracist, practices. I will work to understand the strengths and struggles of each person in front of me. I will name the power imbalances that exist in the room, the community, and the society that I work within. I will trust each person’s wisdom about their life and their experiences and how racism does or does not impact what has brought them into my office.

3- I can use my social work training, specifically regarding the Social Determinants of Health (how feeling safe and connected in a community, having friends, a job, and a home are as important protective factors to longterm health as genes and risk behaviours) to advocate for antiracist community based services and organizations that improve the safety and connectedness of BIPOC community members. More mental health services and greater access to services will not be enough if they continue to be based in the current system. I can advocate for specific measures that invest in social services and health supports designed by and for BIPOC communities.

On that note- check out the following resources that I am using to learn and unlearn right now- I’ve included numerous types of material: from Netflix to academic research, podcasts, books, events, and Instagram accounts. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

If you’re new to learning and unlearning, here’s a place you could start: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist

Or Listen to this: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-austin-channing-brown-on-im-still-here-black-dignity-in-a-world-made-for-whiteness/

Or follow: https://www.instagram.com/rachel.cargle/

A podcast: https://www.heartoslay.com/

Dive deeper with a book from this reading list:: https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/anti-black-racism-reading-list

Watch this: https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549

Social Workers: https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/exc_0618.shtml

https://www.facebook.com/events/202166560919104/

Academically oriented:

https://refugeeresearch.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Corneau-and-Stergiopoulos-2012-Anti-racism-and-anti-oppression-in-mental-health-1.pdf

https://www.whiwhresearch.com/

https://www.acrossboundaries.ca/resources