Decolonizing Therapy: A Movement - An Interview with Dr. Jennifer Mullan
Curt and Katie interview Dr. Jennifer Mullan about decolonizing therapy. We discuss what it means to decolonize therapy and the importance of doing so, as well as the challenges therapists face when they are looking to decolonize their practices and incorporate cultural and community healing. We also explore rage, the tendency to pathologize big emotions, and the impact of historical trauma.
Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!
In this podcast episode, we look at what it means to decolonize therapy
Over time we’ve talked with innovators who are pushing back against the status quo and the medical model. We were so excited to dig more deeply into Decolonizing Therapy with Dr. Jennifer Mullan.
What does “decolonizing therapy” mean?
·      Looking at accessibility to therapy and how lack of access impacts individuals
·      Decolonizing therapy doesn’t work for everyone, especially folks in the global majority and/or who have the most need
·      The way that therapy is practiced is not sufficiently addressing the mental health crisis
·      Shifting therapy to include cultural healing practices, community healing and support
·      Moving the “blame” for poor mental health away from the individual to the individual’s context
What can therapists do if they would like to decolonize their own therapy practice?
·      Make sure you are doing your own work and have support while working in the role of healer
·      Identifying and accepting that all individuals have social, political and other frames that come in with them to the therapy room
·      Unlearning and embracing new knowledge, being okay with not knowing
·      Looking at historical trauma and colonization as core attachment wounds
·      Understanding how historical events impact your clients (and yourself)
·      Looking at how historical trauma is transmitted directly and indirectly
·      Learn in community
·      Rethink diagnosis
What can therapists get wrong when they are working to decolonize their therapy practice?
·      Struggling to see where compliance can conflict with the needs of clients at times
·      The impact of diagnosis on clients (especially behavioral diagnoses frequently given to Black and brown boys that often lead a child into the school to prison pipeline)
·      Not understanding larger concepts around what is political and big questions like why are people poor?
·      Deflecting questions from clients as being clinical material rather than understanding that clients are seeking a human connection
·      Holding to firmly to rigid “rules” around attendance and coming on time, for example
How can therapists work with rage and other big emotions?
·      It’s important to recognize that we are not receiving sufficient education around rage
·      It is important to understand what rage and what it is not
·      Grief, shame, and trauma lead to rage

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