Decolonizing Therapy:
Rethinking Mental Health and Healing in Glendale
At Embracing Change Counseling, we believe therapy is not just a personal journey. It exists within a broader social, historical, and political context. One book that has deeply influenced our approach is Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice by Dr. Jennifer Mullan.
What is Decolonizing Therapy?
Decolonizing Therapy is an approach that recognizes how colonialism and systemic oppression impact mental health, relationships, and access to care. It challenges traditional, individualistic Eurocentric methods by centering collective, ancestral, and culturally inclusive healing practices.
What is colonialism?
To understand Decolonizing Therapy, we must first address colonialism. Colonialism is one of humanity’s core wounds. Its effects are far-reaching, often invisible, and profoundly shape the way we experience mental health and wellness.
As Dr. Mullan writes:
“When a wound goes unnamed and untended, it will grow and fester—eventually infecting everything around it.”
Decolonizing Therapy brings awareness and attention to the deep, often hidden harm caused by colonialism—the “core wound.” By illuminating this pain in a compassionate and supportive way, the approach allows individuals and communities to acknowledge the impact of historical oppression, making it possible to begin the process of healing both personally and collectively.
Why is Decolonizing Therapy needed?
Decolonizing Therapy sits at the intersections of the psychological, political, ancestral, and collective. It is a loving but urgent call to:
Confront the multi-generational impact of colonization on all of us
Uncover and address the real roots of symptoms and suffering
Recenter a collective healing process for indigenous peoples and historically marginalized communities
Challenge individualistic and pathologizing Eurocentric methods of wellness
Ultimately, the book advocates for a model of mental health that is accessible to all and fosters liberation, thriving, and collective healing.
What is the Decolonizing Therapy framework?
The Decolonizing Therapy Method emphasizes four interwoven dimensions that guide healing:
The Land
Our connection to the places and environments that shape our histories and experiences.
Spirit
Honoring the ancestral, collective, and inner life that influences our mental and emotional health.
We, the People
Recognizing the inherited past and the ways it affects our psychology, relationships, and access to basic needs.
Our Own Capacity
Cultivating awareness of our personal biases, history, and potential for growth.
At Embracing Change Counseling, these dimensions are intrinsically tied to our relationships, our work, and our understanding of self. Engaging with all four fosters not only individual healing but collective awareness and social accountability.
As our founder, Heather Huiting, shares, “It’s important for all therapists to be aware of their own biases and the effects of colonialism upon their own lineage, whether their ancestors were the oppressed or the oppressors. This awareness allows us to be more mindful of how we communicate with our clients and helps to further dismantle the power dynamics inherent in our profession.”
Supporting Decolonizing Therapy at Embracing Change in Glendale, AZ
Healing from trauma, depression or anxiety requires understanding the broader context of your experiences. That’s why at Embracing Change Counseling, our depression therapists in Glendale and anxiety therapists in Glendale integrate frameworks like Decolonizing Therapy to honor both personal and collective histories in the healing process.
By applying these principles, clients and therapists alike can explore the historical, political, and ancestral dimensions that influence mental health. Recognizing these contexts allows for therapy that is equitable, culturally attuned, and genuinely transformative.
The Difference Decolonizing Therapy Makes
Engaging with Decolonizing Therapy challenges both clients and therapists to examine systemic influences on mental health. At Embracing Change Counseling, we are committed to reflection, education, and growth so all clients feel seen, heard, and supported in ways that honor their lived experiences and histories.
To find a therapist who understands the importance of Decolonizing Therapy, visit our About page.