Social justice has been a core value in mental health professions for some time. However, practitioners haven't always been clear on what social justice-informed therapy should look like in practice.

We all have ways in which we are privileged and experience barriers to privilege - some of these elements of ourselves are more visible than others. As a neurodivergent, queer, white, sole parent, I am dedicated personally and professionally to unlearning and dismantling oppressive systems to foster connection and empowerment.

Social justice-informed therapy is rooted in relational ethics, based on an awareness of our histories, identities, and socio-political environments. Importantly, this practice must aim to be transformative, with the potential to drive change and support not just individual well-being but also social, political, and collective health. While social justice-informed therapy is also politically informed, this doesn't mean imposing a political agenda on clients or seeing them only through the lens of their identity groups. Instead, it's about recognizing the political context of our work without overlooking it when focusing on the individual. Reflexive practice acknowledges and considers both societal structures and the individual experience and understands that, as a therapist, I am not neutral.

And how does this show up in my therapy practice? I understand that particular populations are at greater risk of mental illness and addiction. I recognize that institutional healthcare systems are not healing for everyone, and educational systems do not support everyone’s learning, despite their best intentions. I will sometimes situate myself in the interest of clarifying my perspective as a reflection of my experience as opposed to the way something universally is. I will ask about your pronouns and honour them. I won’t presume you are cis-gender, straight, monogamous or that you had a simple childhood. I get how impossible it is to survive on Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Plan (ODSP) payments alone. I will ask about your experience of privilege discrepancies and how various types of systemic injustice have impacted you personally. I respect evidence-based practice and Indigenous/traditional/folk viewpoints, and I endeavour to integrate your cultural, spiritual and/or religious outlook.

I will always offer several sliding scale spots for clients who lack the resources to pay my regular rate continuously. The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario has specific standards that guide us on this matter.