My Imperfect Plan as a Therapist Ally

Racial injustice, years of oppression, white privilege, systemic and legal harms… these may seem like things that do not align with either of my businesses. But as a white person who is hiring, who is teaching other therapists, who is paid to speak at events, and who wants my business to make a positive impact in the world, I must address these issues. Or I will contribute further to the problem.

Whether it’s unintentional or not, I will cause harm unless I am actively trying NOT to cause harm (and even then, I’ll still mess it up sometimes).

So I wanted to publicly share my current plan for being an ally as a business and as a therapist. This is not so that I can receive praise for this plan. This is so that 1) You know that when you support this business (or my other business, QA Prep) you are supporting these specific actions, 2) We can begin to correct the years of racism that has negatively impacted healthcare in general, and also mental health, and 3) Other white therapists can have some examples of actions to take (I know that I was unsure about what I could do until I started seeing others post their actions and that helped me tremendously).

Here are the actions I am taking, as a business owner and a therapist, to be an ally:

1. I will financially support other businesses owned by people of color.

2. I will call out the racist practices in the mental health field.

3. I will not attend or support events that do not include therapists of color. I will not attend or support events where therapists of color are only speaking on the topic of diversity.

4. I will not be part of any panels where the majority of the speakers are white.

5. All marketing and training materials for my businesses will include diverse perspectives.

6. I am currently hiring and am seeking consultation on how to make my hiring practices and ongoing business culture accessible and safe for people of color.

7. I will continue to contribute money to anti-racist causes (and if you’d like to do so, click here to check out a fundraiser supporting therapy for Black women and girls through the Loveland Foundation).

8. I will always be open to feedback, and promise to amplify the voices of my colleagues of color whenever I can.

9. I will continue to do my own anti-racism work, to be part of groups that challenge me, and to listen to people of color when they teach.

10. I promise to evaluate these actions regularly and see what else is needed

My hope is that this plan will grow as I grow, as my businesses grow, and as we see real change happening in the world.

What is your plan for correcting racism in our field and in our world? What resources do you have that you’d like to share with your colleagues?

Feel free to share your ideas and resources below in the comments (and please know these comments will be monitored and while discussion is welcome, harmful or hateful comments will be deleted).

BLACK LIVES MATTER.