Representation Matters in Social Work: We Need More Black Therapists
I was recently asked my thoughts on whether or not Social Workers should pursue therapy, and I wholeheartedly believe that it’s very important that we do. I really don’t think it’s good to ask people to be vulnerable in ways we aren’t willing to be. Plus, practitioners are not infallible and need to work on their own stuff too. Some attempts are better than others.
In an effort to process my own feelings, I recently sought support and was referred to a white therapist. Because talking about white supremacy with white people as a Black person can be exhausting, I had an internal debate with myself about whether or not I would disclose to this person how I was feeling about the continued surge of Black death; the continued extrajudicial killings of unarmed Black people at the hands of police. I debated internally on whether or not I would talk about the heaviness I carried from continued exposure to minoritized stress. Ultimately I decided to share though because if I didn’t, I would not be truly honoring my own feelings and the support I needed to process them.
When I began to share, the therapist hadn’t heard of Amy Cooper, didn’t understand the racial dynamics at play in the story, and was not aware of the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, or others. As I began to share that I saw a through-line connecting the millions of Amy Coopers, the white supremacist propaganda depicted in the birth of a nation film, the murder of Emmett Till, and other events, I learned that this person was not aware of any of those things.
While the experience reminded me of how important it is to continue my own education about my own relationship to power and privilege as it relates to lived experiences I don’t understand because I don’t have to, it was also very exhausting, as I spent most of the time directing the person to resources instead of processing my own feelings about what’s happening right now.
At another point in my professional career, I spent time working with a pathways program designed to introduce students to the field of public health. The program had a foundational understanding of the reality that Black people are disproportionately affected by health disparities, yet, we are heavily underrepresented in the workforce of Public Health professionals who are engaged in reducing, and ultimately eliminating them. Through field placements, skill-building workshops, and mentorship, the program supported students’ ability to see themselves in the work that they might be encouraged to pursue public health as a career or area of study. If we can get people who are intimately connected to the pain in positions of practice and leadership within the field, then we may begin to see an increased reduction in health disparities. Centering those who are pushed to the margins when it comes to creating solutions to systemic problems. The field of Social Work could benefit from a similar pathways approach.
Are we monolithic? No. Do we need more Black therapists? Yes.
Must practitioners always share the same identities of the people they support? No. Are understanding identities and their connection to power, privilege and oppression in relation to others important? Yes. Do we need more Black therapists? Yes.
We also must be critical about how the profession can better support Black therapists who are currently practicing. Centering their voices, experiences, and needs will bring us closer to that place.
Many thanks to those of you who do this work, even as you are also intimately familiar with, and impacted by the issues.
From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins-Jones
Wow, I am shocked that a therapist would be unaware of all of the situations and deaths that you refer to in this post. I understand taking a “news diet” from time to time, but as a therapist or social worker, it is imperative to educate ourselves on current events.
Thanks Sue, and you’re right. It is absolutely imperative for us to continue to do the work of better understanding our own relationships to power, privilege and oppression as it relates to others in order to increase our ability to serve and reduce harm.
Thank you Relando for highlighting the need for more Black Therapists. As a newly licensed Black clinical social worker, I sit back and acknowledge that the road to this accomplishment while not easy it surely was costly and required much strategy. When having the conversation about having more Black Therapist one must begin to deconstruct the systematic oppression faced within the pathways to becoming a therapist. I can only speak from my experience however, after calculating the money spent for supervision, paying for study materials, and paying examination fees, I know I spent over $3000 alone out of pocket.Then once I obtained the license I have to now think about how to pay the annual fees, obtain CEUs, and spend additional monies for certification to equip myself to continue to be a better therapist for my clients. Money of which I may not have due to having to pay rent, pay off student loans, and other bills. I say all this to say, licensing boards should continue to have conversations around race and equity as well in order to examine their own policies and procedures that may exacerbate why there aren’t as many Black Therapists out there.
And thank you so much for your comment Ashley. I am very happy that you were able to become a licensed clinical social worker. Your comments about the barriers to more Black practitioners gaining entry into the field are spot on, and are in line with some of the reasons that I have yet to obtain my own licensure. I explain a little more about the frustrating structures and barriers to even being able to use the title of social worker in my post on identity.
The profession needs to take a long hard look at the barriers that exist within it for those who want to become Black social workers and make changes that will bring about the equity that it professes to work for.
I find myself conflicted around not currently providing outpatient services. Although where I am now I am able to be a resource to clients and colleagues of color and everyone else I come in contact with. Should I make myself available to a demographic that rarely seeks therapy? Yes I know, I have no interest in working at a jail or drug treatment center. I applaud those that are called to that work. There are plenty of Black males NOT in jail or in recovery that could benefit from seeing a Black male therapist. Hell, I need a Black male therapist (self care)! Of course that doesn’t mean things will go well. As an intern, one of my clients was a Black male and our work suffered because of the assumptions I made being a Black male. We were able to recover because of my eventual awareness that his Black experience was not the same as mine.
Thanks Gerald, and that’s ok too. As I’ve written here, Black people are not monolithic so I am glad to hear that you came to the realization that assuming that your client’s experience with being Black was not exactly the same as your own. And, we still need more Black therapists and social workers in the profession.
I’m hearing your conflict about not providing outpatient services because of the great need that exists, and I think it is best that practitioners operate in a realm that is within their passion and area of expertise in order to reduce harm to their clients. If you’re referring to Black people in your comment as the demographic that rarely seeks therapy, I think the question we should be asking is what are barriers to Black people seeking therapy, looking at the structural and systemic barriers that exist, as well as the interpersonal ones. If Black people can count on having experiences like the one I’m sharing here, which they can unfortunately, then I’m not surprised why the outcome is what it is. I certainly would not go back if I I could count on such a hard experience. I am hoping that the post that I have written, and other narratives like it further conversations that shift the blame away from vulnerable populations for not getting services, and instead interrogate the systemic oppression that creates the conditions that they need help for in the first place.