Reader,

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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:

1. Self-Reflection ✔️
2. Listening Actively ✔️
3. Building Authentic Relationships
4. Acknowledging Power Dynamics
5. Commit to Ongoing Learning:
6. Memorizing is not the same as understanding
7. Compassion over empathy

This week I am unpacking step 3, Building Authentic Relationships:

Building Authentic Relationships: Understanding the Client’s World

Creating authentic relationships with clients is central to decolonizing mental health. Here’s how to build them:

1. Be Present and Genuine: Engage in sessions without distractions, and approach each interaction with sincerity. This means being open to:
   • the client’s experiences (and to your judgments about them, don't deny them)
   • not understanding the client’s experiences (you don't have to get it all the time, getting it doesn't mean you're a better therapist/healer)
   • SAYING that you don’t understand their experiences (if this is the case of course) —understanding is not needed to be compassionate, especially when the client’s experiences differ significantly from your own.
   • witnessing what you don't understand, and SUPPORT how your client's experiences have impacted their lives.
2. Learn from the Client: Acknowledge preconceived notions about culture or identity and send them to the back seat of the car. And at the same time, be open to hearing and learning from the client’s perspective, valuing their lived experiences over textbook knowledge.
3. Respect Their Narrative: Understand that each client’s story is unique. Acknowledge your assumptions based on generalizations or stereotypes, put them aside. AND questions that invite the client to share their narrative in their own words.
4. Cultivate Mutual Trust: Building trust is a gradual process that comes from consistently showing respect, empathy, and a willingness to understand come closer to the client’s world. You don't build trust by being nice.
5. Acknowledge Your Limitations: Acknowledge that your understanding of the client’s cultural background/community/life in general is limited and will always be limited. Approach each session with radical humility, recognizing the client as the expert in their own life, with their own internal wisdom.
6. Foster a Brave Environment: I am not talking about the “non-judgmental space where you can share anything”. I am talking about supporting a space for your client to know they can express as much or as little as they want. For them to set boundaries with you, to tell you when you didn’t get it, to refuse repair if they are not ready for it. AND a space for YOU to accept your limitations.
7. Ongoing Commitment: Building authentic relationships is an ongoing process that requires continuous effort, reflection, and a commitment to growth. “Rapport” is not build in 1 or 6 months, it can take longer, especially if you and your client don’t have that many identities in common.

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What does Building Authentic Relationships have to with Decolonizing the Mental Health and Wellness Industrial Complex?

Focusing on authenticity and a genuine connection, helps therapists and healers actually bridge the gap between their own experiences and those of their clients, fostering a more inclusive and effective therapeutic environment.

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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!)

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I’ll tell you more about step 4 of Bridging the Gap (Acknowledging Power Dynamics) in a week.. or two!

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☀️ In community,

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Silvana @ Decolonize Your Practice​

PS.

If you are new to these Liberatory Letters... hi! And... I have been running a series of monthly, free, Q&As called Monthly Decolonized Consultation Sessions.

If you want to join the next meeting click on the appropriate link below, we only have two more meetings this year!

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Let's connect!