Decentering the use of police: An abolitionist approach to safety planning in psychotherapy.

Abstract

The dominant narrative in much of the world, but especially the West, is that public safety and security are provided by policing. Psychotherapy invests in this dominant narrative via its reliance on emergency services provided by the state, such as 911 and police, to pursue the safety of clients and the larger society. However, the long-documented history of oppressive systems of policing suggest that these dominant narratives operate to protect powerful groups while surveilling and policing marginalized people, but particularly Black and Brown communities. As such, critical and abolitionist movements have rejected the idea that policing provides safety and have sought out alternative methods for ensuring community wellness and safety. Although the field of psychology has broadly expressed interest in growing its critical lens and interrupting systems of power, very little has directly addressed how carceral logics influence psychotherapy practice, and how this influences the client's sense of safety in therapy. This manuscript argues for an abolitionist approach to informed consent and safety planning in psychotherapy to address the disparate ways that clients, and especially marginalized clients such as Black and Brown people, experience psychotherapy's traditional use of systems of policing and state authority. Clinical illustrations are provided and future directions are discussed. Clinical Impact StatementQuestion: This article addresses whether there are alternatives to the way that psychotherapy traditionally centers police and 911 services during informed consent and safety planning. Findings: Clinicians can use the recommendations offered in this article to restructure their informed consent and safety planning procedures to address the disparate experiences of authorities that clients, especially marginalized clients, may have. Meaning: This article offers a new approach to informed consent and safety planning that utilizes abolitionist ideologies and builds a network of personal and community support systems. Next Steps: Future research should empirically investigate this approach as well as seek out other abolitionist approaches to psychotherapy.

Previous mental health care and help-seeking experiences: Perspectives from sexual and gender minority survivors of near-fatal suicide attempts.

“…SGM adults with high suicide risk should also be consulted in efforts to reduce police involvement in mental health crises. These discussions can occur individually with clients and providers to find appropriate, alternative methods to welfare checks with police while safety planning (see Drustrup et al, 2022, for practical recommendations) or as community stakeholders in development of nonpolice models of crisis intervention (Marcus & Stergiopoulos, 2022).…”

Radicalizing safety: A critical narrative analysis to abolish the police

“…Psychotherapists must be aware of their history, which despite good intentions, includes an uninterrupted stretch of elitism and maintenance of the status quo-a social order that has been violent and harmful towards those with less access to social power (Prilleltensky, 2008). This has included the utilization of police in psychotherapy practices (Drustrup et al, 2023), support for the military (Değirmencioğlu., 2010), therapists' contribution to the non-profit industrial complex that attempts to "manage" suffering instead of eliminating it (Kivel, 2017), and much more. The overwhelmingly negative experience of policing in this study further supports the need for clinicians to stop utilizing police in safety planning (Drustrup et al, 2023).…”

“…This has included the utilization of police in psychotherapy practices (Drustrup et al, 2023), support for the military (Değirmencioğlu., 2010), therapists' contribution to the non-profit industrial complex that attempts to "manage" suffering instead of eliminating it (Kivel, 2017), and much more. The overwhelmingly negative experience of policing in this study further supports the need for clinicians to stop utilizing police in safety planning (Drustrup et al, 2023).…”

Introduction to special section: Addressing racism, anti-blackness, and racial trauma in psychotherapy.

“…An illuminative clinical case is provided to highlight and illustrate the core features of this approach in practice. Drustrup et al (2022) challenge the dominant narrative, particularly in the West, that safety and security are provided by policing, and detail how police force has been systematically used to protect privileged groups while surveilling and policing marginalized people, but particularly Black and Brown communities. The authors highlight the commonplace practice in psychotherapy to use police to ensure and manage safety and risk, with an attention to the potential pitfalls and danger of this practice for BIPOC clients and communities.…”