Let’s Talk Anti-Oppressive Work in Mental Health
At The Therapeutic Table, one of our main goals is to reimagine mental health care through an anti-oppressive, decolonized lens. What does that mean in practice, in real life? It means looking critically at the systems and biases deeply embedded within our traditional approaches and actively working to dismantle and unlearn them.
Here are some concrete ways I think we can start decolonizing the mental health field and creating more inclusive practices:
Promote access to culturally inclusive and responsive care. Advocate for clinicians to engage in true, decolonized identity work as a part of licensing and continuing education requirements.
Advocate and take action to diversify the mental health workforce. Create scholarships and mentorship programs for BIPOC students (undergraduate and graduate students) pursuing mental health careers. Challenge your organizations/businesses to implement hiring practices that ensure the inclusion of voices from different underrepresented backgrounds.
Consider offering sliding scale payment models, scholarship opportunities, pro bono services, or donate to nonprofit organizations serving marginalized communities to address financial barriers to care.
Develop and enforce antiracism and antioppression policies within your private practices and other organizations. Create formal and informal opportunities for reflection and accountability through collaboration and constructive dialogue/feedback.
Contact your local graduate school programs and ask about their curriculum. Does it include non-Western healing practices, explorations of systemic oppression, and present work from individuals with strategically devalued identities? Push for a critical examination of the Eurocentric models and their application to the global majority.
Ensure your assessment tools, treatment plans, and healing work prioritize intersectional identities and the compounded effects of systemic oppression on your clients’ mental health. No one gets out of the system unscathed.
Anti-oppressive work in mental health isn’t just a theory; it requires intentionality and action. At the end of the day, decolonizing mental health isn’t just about making things better for our clients; it’s about building a field that truly values liberation for all. This isn’t easy work—but it’s necessary work. Whether you’re a therapist of color or an ally, there’s always a way to push for change and create spaces of healing that honor and uplift all identities.
#QTNA. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
(Identify your group in your response)
Private Practice Owners: What is one policy or practice you could introduce to make your practice more inclusive and anti-oppressive?
Therapists in Training: How can you advocate for decolonized education in your training programs?
Allies: What steps can you take to support underrepresented voices in mental health spaces?
The Therapeutic Table aims to be a cultural refuge for mental health therapists of color. Our mission? To decolonize the mental health field by building a supportive, culturally responsive space where we can connect, access resources designed with our needs in mind, and share a collective journey toward growth, healing, and liberation. Think:
Culturally relevant wellness programs to prevent burnout and honor the emotional labor we carry.
Peer support and virtual coworking because you deserve to do this work without feeling isolated.
Workshops and tools crafted to help BIPOC therapists thrive while centering anti-oppressive and liberatory practices.
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