Decolonizing Psychology
Decolonizing psychotherapy is an important aspiration in the service of all clients. Our goal is not to invert power from oppressor to oppressed, but instead to learn how to share power across communities and one’s lived experiences. When we say “decolonize”, we emphasize the idea of “unlearning”. It is equally if not more important to unlearn what we have internalized about power, monocultural bias, and the hierarchies between identity groups as it is to learn a new frame for thinking about ourselves and others.
Below are the ways Buckeye Psychology focuses our intent to bring decolonizing/unlearning practices to our work as Psychologists and within the therapeutic relationship.
Limitations of Western Psychology
All fi
elds start somewhere, and “modern” Psychology originates from European (especially Germany) and U.S. philosophy. These early scholars had their own culture-bound ideas about The Self, individualism, healthy identity development, and what constitutes the “right” theory of the mind. As such, our profession, in training and in practice, is dominated by these ideas. While valuable, this has also created a serious limitation in our understanding of people, communities, psychopathology, and the human condition. To only be able to understand clients and help them understand themselves from a Western view is ineffective at best and harmful at worst. Buckeye Psychology is committed to self-study and experiential learning to expand our understanding of the human condition beyond the Western view. When appropriate, we also assist our clients in expanding their understanding of others as well.
Unlearning Colonized Thought
As a developing human being, it is both natural and necessary for our families, peer groups, and society at large to influence how we perceive ourselves, those unlike us, and ideas of “right” and “wrong”. We also learn directly and indirectly about hierarchies, who should have power (and who shouldn’t), and why this order to the world is unimpeachable. When relevant, Buckeye Psychology uses the lens of unlearning to directly challenge the belief that how power is organized is unimpeachable. This has a surprising amount of significance within client’s relationships, their world of work, identity, and more. We believe using this lens does not take away from a client’s goals, but instead can greatly enrich them.
Individual Agency vs. Systemic/Institutional Realities
One of the most potentially devastating aspects of psychotherapy from a Western perspective is an overemphasis on individualism. While ideas related to individualism are frequently relevant to therapy (personal freedoms, self agency, self belief, a focus on “I”, etc.), doing so in a way that does not adequately account for institutional and systemic realities (power dynamics, long perpetuated status quos, system level inequities, etc.) often will create a gap of understanding and empathy between the client and therapist. In some cases, a client may even feel that the therapist is perpetuating the same perspectives that make them feel misunderstood and trapped. At Buckeye Psychology, we value individual agency, but only when contextualized within the reality of sociological forces that may enhance or impede that agency. We also at times help clients unlearn internalized ideas around personal agency that lead to misplaced self criticism and blame.
Therapist as Co-conspirator
Decolonizing Psychology as therapists involves an aspect of activism. Outside the therapy space, we seek to participate in the subversion of institutions in as constructive of ways as possible. Much of this work is informal, but also takes place in more visible forms. With clients, being a co-conspirator means being more than a silent ally. As co-conspirators, we attempt to be more vocal and visible for clients and the challenges faced within their communities. Advocacy, when appropriate, is something we highly value. In turn, we have found that both teaching clients to be more powerful self advocates and how to think like a co-conspirator have greatly benefited clients’ therapy experience.