Are We Adding Fuel to the Fire?

Hello, in reading the article, "Dismantling Systemic Racism," as mental health professionals are we partially responsible for the oppression of Black people (Samuel, 2020)? The author suggests that mental health professional have colluded to sustain white supremacy by building a narrative that Black people are inhuman. Mental health rates were inflated on the U.S. Census to proliferate the belief that Blacks were uncivilized and incapable of living among the civilized and thus should be institutionalized for their own protection (Samuel, 2020). Therefore, Black people are more likely to receive diagnosis of Psychotic Disorders and Conduct Disorders compared to their non-black counterparts (Samuel, 2020). With the uprising of racial injustice, "the mere act of a Black person breathing is a threat to White supremacy" (Samuel, 2020, pg. 12). The question becomes, how do we undo the psychological damage that we have caused within the Black community? Samuel's suggests, one, therapists conduct their own self- reflection to address any biases and stereotypes that they hold. Two, understand that taking a cultural diversity class does not make one an ally. Lastly, mental health reparations should be in the form of free individual, family, and group therapy services as restitution for the hand we played in the historical and persistent racial trauma lived by Black people on a daily basis. She goes a step further to include expanding accessibility into the field of therapy for Blacks. Mental health professionals are at the precipice for creating and establishing meaningful change that helps to dismantle the crippling effects of institutional racism.

References:

Samuel, Danielle (2020). Our role as systemic therapists in: Dismantling systemic racism. Family     Therapy Magazine. July/August. pp. 10-14.