Social justice and remembering “the personal is political” in counselling and psychotherapy: So, what can therapists do?

Abstract

This brief contribution argues for the importance of a social justice perspective in counselling and psychotherapy, particularly within the current international socio‐political context. Much has been said about social justice over recent years in the fields of psychology, psychotherapy and counselling. Professionals and academics have expressed some concerns about what it might actually mean, or how difficult it might be in practice to engage with this perspective. In this paper, the activist phrase “the personal is political” (Hanisch, 1970) is used to illustrate the way in which a social justice approach to counselling and psychotherapy does not need to be complicated, but rather a foregrounding of a particular understanding of well‐being and the people we work with. Following this, some concrete and straightforward suggestions for how therapists might begin to act on their social justice values are made.

A Pluralistic Perspective on Research in Psychotherapy: Harnessing Passion, Difference and Dialogue to Promote Justice and Relevance

“…This approach to research can be understood as a form of ‘engaged’ inquiry ( Chevalier and Buckles, 2019 ), influenced by the ideas and values promoted by key 20th century thinkers, such as Paulo Freire, Jurgen Habermas and Kurt Lewin ( Reason and Bradbury, 2013 ). It is also consistent with ideas of ‘collaboration as a matter of principle’ outlined as part of the psychotherapy social justice agenda ( Winter, 2019 , p.180). Typically, service users or community members may be involved in the design of a study, collection and analysis of data, writing and dissemination, for example in the programme of collaborative research that has involved service users and therapists working together to establish a basis for more effective therapy and recovery interventions in bipolar disorder ( Veseth et al, 2012 ; Billsborough et al, 2014 ).…”

Counselling and psychotherapy post‐COVID‐19

“…We can equally draw on frameworks to inform how counselling and psychotherapy should respond to changing population needs. Hanisch’s (1970) stance that the ‘personal is political’ already has several implications for practice in relation to social justice (Winter, 2019) and power dynamics (Proctor, 2017). Socioecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) extends these implications by placing the client–therapist relationship within dynamically linked systems of family, community and society (including culture, religion, beliefs and services).…”

Therapist disclosure to combat COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: a narrative review

“…Feminist and multicultural orientations make a strong case for self-disclosure as a therapeutic tool. In addition, these traditions, along with fields such as counseling and social work, have a history of incorporating ideas of social justice within practice and outside of the therapy room (Comas-Diaz, 2012 ; Winter, 2019 ). Feminist and multicultural approaches also acknowledge the innate power differential between patient and therapist across orientations (Barnett, 2011 ; Mahalik et al, 2000 ).…”