Decolonizing Therapy

A call to action for therapists to politicize their practice through an emotional decolonial lens. An essential work that centers colonial and historical trauma in a framework for healing, Decolonizing Therapy illuminates that all therapy is—and always has been— inherently political. To better understand the mental health oppression and institutional violence that exists today, we must become familiar with the root of disembodiment from our histories, homelands, and healing practices. Only then will readers see how colonial, historical, and intergenerational legacies have always played a role in the treatment of mental health. This book is the emotional companion and guide to decolonization. It is an invitation for Eurocentrically trained clinicians to acknowledge privileged and oppressed parts while relearning what we thought we knew. Ignoring collective global trauma makes delivering effective therapy impossible; not knowing how to interrogate privilege (as a therapist, client, or both) makes healing elusive; and shying away from understanding how we as professionals may be participating in oppression is irresponsible.

In Decolonizing Trauma Work, Renee Linklater explores healing and wellness in Indigenous communities on Turtle Island. Drawing on a decolonizing approach, which puts the “soul wound” of colonialism at the centre, Linklater engages ten Indigenous health care practitioners in a dialogue regarding Indigenous notions of wellness and wholistic health, critiques of psychiatry and psychiatric diagnoses, and Indigenous approaches to helping people through trauma, depression and experiences of parallel and multiple realities. Through stories and strategies that are grounded in Indigenous worldviews and embedded with cultural knowledge, Linklater offers purposeful and practical methods to help individuals and communities that have experienced trauma. Decolonizing Trauma Work, one of the first books of its kind, is a resource for education and training programs, health care practitioners, healing centres, clinical services and policy initiatives.

Multicultural counseling and psychology evolved as a response to the Eurocentrism prevalent in the Western healing professions and has been used to challenge the Eurocentric, patriarchal, and heteronormative constructs commonly embedded in counseling and psychology. Ironically, some of the practices and paradigms commonly associated with “multiculturalism” reinforce the very hegemonic practices and paradigms that multicultural counseling and psychology approaches were created to correct. In Decolonizing "Multicultural" Counseling through Social Justice, counseling and psychology scholars and practitioners examine this paradox through a social justice lens by questioning and challenging the infrastructure of dominance in society, as well as by challenging ourselves as practitioners, scholars, and activists to rethink our commitments. The authors analyze the ways well-meaning clinicians might marginalize clients and contribute to structural inequities despite multicultural or cross-cultural training, and offer new frameworks and skills to replace the essentializing and stereotyping practices that are widespread in the field. By addressing the power imbalances embedded in key areas of multicultural theory and practice, contributors present innovative methods for revising research paradigms, professional education, and hands-on practice to reflect a commitment to equity and social justice. Together, the chapters in this book model transformative practice in the clinic, the schools, the community, and the discipline. Among the topics covered: Rethinking racial identity development models. Queering multicultural competence in counseling. Developing a liberatory approach to trauma counseling. Decolonizing psychological practice in the context of poverty. Utilizing indigenous paradigms in counseling research. Addressing racism through intersectionality. A mind-opening text for multicultural counseling and psychology courses as well as other foundational courses in counseling and psychology education, Decolonizing "Multicultural" Counseling through Social Justice challenges us to let go of simplistic approaches, however well-intended, and to embrace a more transformative approach to counseling and psychology practice and scholarship.

FINALIST FOR THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD A CBC BEST CANADIAN NONFICTION BOOK OF 2022 AN INDIGO TOP TEN BEST SELF-HELP BOOK OF 2022 "A vital and deeply compelling read.” —Adam McKay, award-winning writer, director and producer (Don’t Look Up) “Britt Wray shows that addressing global climate change begins with attending to the climate within.” —Dr. Gabor Maté, author of The Myth of Normal "Read this courageous book.” —Naomi Klein An impassioned generational perspective on how to stay sane amid climate disruption. Climate and environment-related fears and anxieties are on the rise everywhere. As with any type of stress, eco-anxiety can lead to lead to burnout, avoidance, or a disturbance of daily functioning. In Generation Dread, Britt Wray seamlessly merges scientific knowledge with emotional insight to show how these intense feelings are a healthy response to the troubled state of the world. The first crucial step toward becoming an engaged steward of the planet is connecting with our climate emotions, seeing them as a sign of humanity, and learning how to live with them. We have to face and value eco-anxiety, Wray argues, before we can conquer the deeply ingrained, widespread reactions of denial and disavowal that have led humanity to this alarming period of ecological decline. It’s not a level playing field when it comes to our vulnerability to the climate crisis, she notes, but as the situation worsens, we are all on the field—and unlocking deep stores of compassion and care is more important than ever. Weaving in insights from climate-aware therapists, critical perspectives on race and privilege in this crisis, ideas about the future of mental health innovation, and creative coping strategies, Generation Dread brilliantly illuminates how we can learn from the past, from our own emotions, and from each other to survive—and even thrive—in a changing world.

Taking a new and innovative angle on social work, this book seeks to remedy the lack of holistic perspectives currently used in Western social work practice by exploring Indigenous and other culturally diverse understandings and experiences of healing. This book examines six core areas of healing through a holistic lens that is grounded in a decolonizing perspective. Situating integrative healing within social work education and theory, the book takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from social memory and historical trauma, contemplative traditions, storytelling, healing literatures, integrative health, and the traditional environmental knowledge of Indigenous Peoples. In exploring issues of water, creative expression, movement, contemplation, animals, and the natural world in relation to social work practice, the book will appeal to all scholars, practitioners, and community members interested in decolonization and Indigenous studies.

If you are seeking to create a more intersectional, anti-racist, and inter-cultural approach to therapy, this edited collection emerging from the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network is an invaluable resource for your practice. This collection covers topics such as the psychological trauma of racism, the various barriers to accessing support for mental health and the lived experience of Black, African, or Asian people in a profession that is still dominated by Eurocentric perspectives, training, and practice. Each contribution further reinforces the importance and benefit of having an intersectional, anti-racist, and inter-cultural approach to your therapeutic practice and contains insight from 27 experts in the psychological arena. This book is split into four sections - the first focusses on colour, creativity, and anti-racist reflections. Part two covers training in the psychological field in the past, present, and future. Part three discusses CPD, supervision and self-care with a specific focus on mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional health and lastly, part five centralises therapeutic needs and psychological wellbeing within the context of identity, culture, and belonging.

Integral Psychedelic Therapy is a groundbreaking, evidence-based collection that explores how psychedelic medicine can be incorporated into contemporary psychotherapy. This book builds on current psychedelic research by providing an in-depth articulation of the practice of psychedelic therapy, weaving together a variety of complementary therapeutic frameworks, case examples, and practical guidance for cultivating a highly effective, ethically grounded, integral approach. Chapters by a diverse set of practicing psychotherapists and leading researchers aim to provide practitioners with a method that centers liberation of all dimensions of being through intersectional, client-centered, trauma-informed, and attachment-focused practices, alongside thoughtful attunement to the relational, somatic, imaginal, cultural, and transpersonal dimensions of healing. Integral Psychedelic Therapy will be essential reading for psychotherapists in practice and in training as well as those seeking personal healing and holistic transformation.

This volume applies critical social theories to family therapy practice, using sociopolitical context for a clearer focus on the power dynamics of couple and family relationships. Its decolonizing approach to therapy is shown countering the pervasive cultural themes that grant privilege to specific groups over others, feeding unequal and oppressive relationships that bring families and couples to treatment. Therapy is shown here as a layered and nuanced process, with practitioners developing an ethical human rights perspective toward their work as they aid clients in negotiating for greater justice and equity in their relationships. The book bridges theory and practice by giving readers these essential tools: Strategies for asking clients about social class. A framework for understanding gender issues within the larger patriarchy. Guidelines for relating concepts of race and class in therapy. Structure for creating the family cartography. Ways to utilize a queer perspective in therapy. Illustrative case examples throughout. Breaking new ground in family therapy, Applying Critical Social Theories to Family Therapy Practice challenges social workers, social work researchers, therapists, and psychologists to push beyond current ideas of social awareness and cultural competence toward truly liberatory client-centered practice. .