Reader, For the las two weeks I've introduced you to the 7 steps to bridge the gap between your and your client’s identities. There are 7 steps to bridging the Gap:
This week I am unpacking step 2, Listening Actively: Yes, we learned active listening in grad school. It is "the process of listening attentively to a speaker, understanding what they're saying, and responding in a way that shows you're engaged." But that is not all of it if the process is not centering our clients' voice and experience, if we're not moving beyond surface-level engagement, and if we're not deeply understanding the unique narrative each client brings.
What does Listening Actively have to with Decolonizing the Mental Health and Wellness Industrial Complex? Everything. It helps us move beyond mere cultural competency and toward a deeper, more authentic connection with our clients. This approach respects both the individuality of each client and the community they belong to AND also creates a true therapeutic environment that is genuinely supportive and healing. Do any of the above resonate with you or applies to you and your practice? Hit reply and let me know! (I really want to know!) I’ll tell you more about step 3 of Bridging the Gap (Building Authentic Relationships) in the following weeks! ☀️ In community, Silvana @ Decolonize Your Practice PS. Starting late this year or early next, I will be offering workshops on the various ways of having inclusive and affirming practices🔥 not causing unintended harm to our clients ❤️🩹 and healing in community 💫
Let's connect! |
I help clinicians, healers, and coaches incorporate decolonized and liberatory values in their practices so that you can have a practice and/or service-based business that is truly affirming and welcoming to clients who hold marginalized identities.
Reader, A quick update on what I've been up to: 💻 A minicourse on how to better understand your and your clients' intersectionality using this wheel of power and privilege. ☀️ Last chance to book a 1:1 Decolonial Consultation at the current rate ($220).Get clarity in your practice without bypassing systemic grief.Support your clients more deeply without abandoning your own liberation.Clinicians are using this space to pivot their decolonial work in uncertain times — so they can show up...
Reader, A quick update on what I've been up to: 💻 A minicourse on how to better understand your and your clients' intersectionality using this wheel of power and privilege. ☀️ Last chance to book a 1:1 Decolonial Consultation at the current rate ($220).Get clarity in your practice without bypassing systemic grief.Support your clients more deeply without abandoning your own liberation.Clinicians are using this space to pivot their decolonial work in uncertain times — so they can show up...
Reader, Decolonial work is not a bullet point on our CVs. It’s not a new certificate. It’s not a panel you spoke on. It’s not another framework to master before we’re “ready.” Unlearning colonialism as a therapist, healer or space holder isn’t something you climb. It’s something we soften into. Because here’s the truth: We don’t decolonize by centering academic hierarchies or professional prestige. We don’t get free by measuring ourselves through the same systems that have always decided who...