Racism and anti-racism in counselling and psychotherapy training |
As a response to the recent issues highlighted by #Black Lives Matter we want to find out more about how race and racism are addressed within counselling and psychotherapy training courses.
Who are we?
As a Black art psychotherapist and a White psychotherapy trainee we have concerns and questions about whether current training adequately prepares counsellors and therapists to address issues of structural racism in practice and in the therapeutic space.
Why have we made this questionnaire?
If you would like to contact us directly you can email us ospence@btinternet.com or ruth.brightraven@gmail.comAs a result of witnessing and experiencing silencing in professional counselling and psychotherapy online forums when highlighting and calling out oppression we have put together this anonymous survey to find out more about your experience. We know that silencing and denial also happens in training groups and institutes and we would like to hear about your experiences of training. We appreciate you taking the time to complete it.
What will happen with the data we gather?
We are keen to share this (anonymous) information with training institutes, accrediting bodies and colleagues in the profession in the hope that we can collectively create change.
For the survey we want to capture the views and experiences of White people and Black people and of participants who describe themselves as Person of Colour (P.O.C). We have provided a definition of these terms
Whiteness -. Notably, though the term invokes ideas related to skin colour, whiteness refers more specifically to a structural position—that is, to a racialized social identity that is positioned as superior relative to other “races” within a system of racial hierarchy.
(Cara Cancelmo, Jennifer C. Mueller)
Black- This term has taken on more political connotations with the rise of black activism in the USA since the 1960s and its usage now implies solidarity against racism. The idea of ‘black’ has thus been reclaimed as a source of pride and identity. *British Sociological Association, Anti-Racist Language: Guidance for Good Practise (undated, unacknowledged authorship- Price, Shildrick, 1999, p61)
Today the term "person of color" (plural: people of color, persons of color; sometimes abbreviated POC)[1] is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered white in the United States. During various periods in US history, persons of colour included African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, Middle Eastern Americans[2] and others. The term emphasizes common experiences of systemic racism.
1. Jackson, Yo (2006). Encyclopedia of Multicultural Psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. p. 77. ISBN 9781412909488. For example, the person of color (POC) racial identity model describes racial identity development for people of color...
Whiteness -. Notably, though the term invokes ideas related to skin colour, whiteness refers more specifically to a structural position—that is, to a racialized social identity that is positioned as superior relative to other “races” within a system of racial hierarchy.
(Cara Cancelmo, Jennifer C. Mueller)
Black- This term has taken on more political connotations with the rise of black activism in the USA since the 1960s and its usage now implies solidarity against racism. The idea of ‘black’ has thus been reclaimed as a source of pride and identity. *British Sociological Association, Anti-Racist Language: Guidance for Good Practise (undated, unacknowledged authorship- Price, Shildrick, 1999, p61)
Today the term "person of color" (plural: people of color, persons of color; sometimes abbreviated POC)[1] is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered white in the United States. During various periods in US history, persons of colour included African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, Middle Eastern Americans[2] and others. The term emphasizes common experiences of systemic racism.
1. Jackson, Yo (2006). Encyclopedia of Multicultural Psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. p. 77. ISBN 9781412909488. For example, the person of color (POC) racial identity model describes racial identity development for people of color...