Therapy, Relationships, Archives

Black Lives Matter in Therapy (and beyond)

Black lives matter.

This week has made me think on so many levels, finally forcing me to take a bigger stand on oppression and being loud about it.

Now is not the time for silence.

In the past few days I’ve felt powerless, frustrated, devastated, and lost. And I know it’s only a fraction of what my BIPOC brothers and sisters feel.

I see you. I’m holding space for you. I grieve with you. I am here for you.

As a therapist, I’ve been lucky to have a solid education behind me to help understand systemic racism, intersectionality, and positionality. I believe in using said knowledge to help my clients and community navigate these systems of oppression. However, my personal experience is different because of how I present to the world. This presentation allows me privilege to move throughout it.

I believe that while in therapy we should be able to explore systemic oppression (racism, sexism, homophobia, Zionism, etc) and how it impacts all our lives, whether we feel it personally or not. If not in such a sacred space, then when will many of us have the opportunity to heal, process, and learn to do better to help put a stop to such oppression? I believe therapy offers this place to explore and help dismantle.

It is then up to therapists to do better. Be better. And learn to be comfortable being social justice warriors. If not, we need to give back our licenses and close our practice doors. We swore an oath to serve our communities. This is too important to fall short.

I will continue to stand with my brothers and sisters of color. I will call out injustice and hold your stories close to my heart, honoring who you are fully. I am with you, ready to fight along side you. We’re in this together.

Love,
Samantha

(Please, if you know who created these images, let me know so I can give them the credit they deserve 🖤)