Decolonizing Mental Health Therapy : Examining power, identity, and practice in the therapy room

Workshop Description

Decolonizing mental health is not a single intervention or framework —it is an ongoing practice that asks clinicians to examine how power, identity, and systemic oppression shape both our inner worlds and our clinical work.

This 3-hour workshop integrates personal reflection with practical application, inviting participants to move beyond dominant clinical models and into liberatory, culturally responsive, and relational ways of practicing. Drawing from frameworks on decolonizing practice, navigating code-switching, and bridging personal and professional transformation, this session creates space to critically examine how clinicians are shaped by—and can actively resist—colonial dynamics in mental health.

Participants will explore the impact of code-switching in clinical spaces, particularly for BIPOC practitioners, and consider how authenticity, safety, and power are negotiated in professional environments. The workshop also offers concrete pathways for aligning one’s therapeutic approach with liberatory values, including challenging traditional hierarchies, rethinking “professionalism,” and centering collective care.

By the end…