It’s (Been) in the Room:
Bias in the Form of Blindness, Differential Care, and the Maintenance of Racist Structures in Practice
I’m sorry for those of you who wanted to attend the roundtable discussion, but were unable to make it! I read a reflection paper that I wrote about my experience at AGPA Connect 2021 Large Group. The reading was followed by a discussion.
To read the reflection paper, go to “Anyone Else?” post, linked here.
Here’s somewhat of a recap of points made in response to and in reflection of what was discussed:
Unconscious bias is in the therapy room when we work with our clients. This is a fact that has started to be more recognized in the last year due to the blatant acts of unjust, violent, and otherwise harmful behaviors towards Black and Brown people. It’s definitely in the room. But more importantly, it’s BEEN in the room.
We’ve seen bias play out through the remnants and lasting effects of slavery, Jim Crow laws, etc. We’ve seen cultural appropriation taking shape in many forms, while the cultural origins of these trends continue to be denigrated. We’ve seen it with parents and caregivers who encourage (and take part in) their teens and pre-teens’ obsession with K-Pop to the extent of singing Korean songs with an air of fluency; and those same folx frowning at the use of the Spanish language in America.
We’ve seen it in White people being fed Burger King or allowed to go to their homes to sleep immediately after murdering innocent people, in contrast to the countless people of color who are killed in immediate judgment of the “crimes” they are committing in the moment. Though these examples be more on the extreme, bias does not only play out in what we see in the news. These issues are and have been present in our therapy spaces and in the mental health field.
In early mental health conditions (e.g., drapetomania – the mental disorder that “caused” enslaved people to make efforts to flee captivity; i.e., the “runaway slave” disorder).
. . . in contrast to racism not being considered for inclusion as a mental health disorder due to its almost ubiquitous (read: popular) nature.
It shows up in the forms of blindness, differential care, and the maintenance of racist structures in practice.
EXAMPLES
BLINDNESS
- The privilege of oblivion, or overlooking harm being done to others.
- Not having “seen it” until George Floyd, Teyana Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
- Assuming that your experience is the experience.
- The use of color-blind theoretical approaches without consideration for client identities and cultural ties.
- The fact that “I have clients of color” is the mental health equivalent of “I have a [insert BIPOC identity] friend”
- Especially in response to feedback about biased or racist behaviors.
- Pretending that the systems in place were not created to maintain dynamics of power and oppression.
BIAS
- Different responses to similar behaviors based on identity.
- Responding to the discomfort of White people more empathically than to the lack of safety felt by BIPOCs.
- Reliance on “the theory,” “the model,” or “the research” rather than on the lived experience of individuals holding minoritized identities.
- Maintaining the status quo because “that’s the way it’s always been.”
- Favoring intent over IMPACT.
- Misconstruing what is clearly communicated by BIPOCs in order to minimize their concerns.
MAINTENANCE OF RACIST STRUCTURES
- White silence.
- Pursuing inclusion and/or equality over EQUITY.
- Pursuing diversity rather than SOCIAL JUSTICE and dismantling problematic systems.
- Insistence on BIPOCs being “included” in harmful experiences in order for learning to occur, despite repeated reports of (re-)traumatization.
- Pursuing to be labeled an ally rather than an accomplice towards the mission of challenging racism.
- Highlighting and elevating position and tenure over reasoning.
- The use of BBIPOC folx to put forth point that counters equity and progress.
- Maintaining problematic contracts; not changing course; rigidity.
Mental health has been one of the tools of white supremacist culture in this country from its inception. We are often encouraged to “stick to the model” and to what has the most “evidence base” for the sake of reaching the “golden standard” of treatment and maintaining the integrity of particular approaches. But most of the traditional theories do not appropriately examine the influence of culture or systems. And then those same theories get applied in a biased way, furthering the gap precluding competence. We must take an active approach to challenge the status quo if we ever expect to truly live up to the “do no harm” principle of our ethics for clinical practice — especially those of us (read: you) who have the abundance of privilege and power.