Decolonize Your Practice!

Week 1

Intros and Foundations of a Liberated Practice:

We'll get to know each other, we'll talk about the foundations of a liberated, anti-oppressive, and decolonized practice.

We'll dive into an experiential embodied mindfulness exercise that we'll practice during the first half of the program. This will help you become more aware of your shame and guilt and also more aware of your curiosity and compassion (yes... those uncomfortable feelings... but otherwise, how could we move on with this work?)

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Week 2

Your Identities and their influence in your practice:

We'll talk about our social locations and how they show up in the therapy room (and elsewhere!).

We're not just reviewing the concept of location of self here. We're reflecting on how you're in touch with your identities, how they show up in your practice, and how they affect your work with clients.  

We'll talk about your practice identities. Yes, you heard right, your practice identities (the ethos of your practice, how it has been built, and who are the people who resonate with it vs. the people you want to serve).

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Week 3

Liberation and Decolonization through a mental health lens:

We'll dive into the meaning of key concepts: liberation, decolonization, anti-oppression. Although these are buzzwords in the social justice world, you'll learn to use them thoughtfully and understanding them through a mental health, wellness, and healing lens. You'll work on how to apply these concepts in your practice. and how to avoid falling into virtue signaling.

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Week 4

Areas of Your Practice to Decolonize, part 1:

We'll name and understand the foundational areas of our practices that we can begin decolonizing.

Hint: your business, your treatment, and rapport with clients.

We'll analyze each of these areas and unpack how they have been colonized, so that you can start making the changes you and your clients need.

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Week 5

Areas of Your Practice to Decolonize, part 2:

During the second half of the program, we'll practice embodied radical imagination exercises. This will help you imagine what is possible (your vision for your ideal practice) and not settle for the reality (the mental health system) that someone else created for you.

We'll continue naming and understanding more areas of our practices that we can begin decolonizing.

Why two weeks? To cover all the areas in a thorough way. There are 9 main areas and I want you to have the opportunity to assess ALL OF THEM.

We'll focus on relationships. Not rapport, but how you connect with colleagues, peers, employees, etc to find the toxic power dynamics within those relationships and heal from them.

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Week 6

Going from ideas to plans:

Once you can give yourself permission to envision your ideal practice, we'll go from ideas to individualized plans.

We'll review all barriers to a decolonized practice and how to overcome them by incorporating systemic thinking in your practice. You'll list your personal barriers to decolonizing your practice and figure out how to overcome them.

We'll bring everything together: one the one hand, you practice's data (it's challenges and areas for growth), and on the other hand, all your hopes, expectations, intentions, fears, challenges and we'll learn how to hold space for all of this as we move forward.

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Week 7

Moving from plans to actions:

This week is for integration.

You'll decide where to start. Now that you have a plan, you'll move towards action in a thoughtful way.

You'll choose a tangible area and practical steps to begin decolonizing your practice.

You'll decide how to apply the same action plan to other areas of your practice through a cyclical method so you can continue decolonizing your practice beyond this program, as you'll have a formula that you can modify according to what works for you.

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Week 8

Implementing Your Liberation Blueprint:

You will have designed your cyclical plan, or your Metal Health Liberation Blueprint throughout the program. You will learn how this work is cyclical and will give yourself license to include in your plan periods of rest and nurture in between your decolonization work.

You'll prioritize the steps and areas that makes sense in your action plan, you'll create a timeline, and will learn to have designated spaces during the week to continue engaging in decolonizing your practice beyond this program.

You'll present your Mental Health Liberation Blueprint to the group and share your vision to continue engaging in this work in the next 5, 10, 15, 20, 30+ years, both in the therapy room, your community, and your personal life.

You'll witness all group members' plans and be able to give each other feedback.