This anti-oppression statement was originally created on December 23, 2019. It has been revised and updated on December 23, 2024, as part of our commitment to continuous learning, reflection, and accountability.
Clayre Sessoms (she/they), RP, RCT, RCAT, CCC, ATR-BC
Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC
460-1231 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver BC V6Z 0E2
Phone: 778-302-3187
Email: info@clayresessoms.com
At Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC, we hold a deep commitment to fostering an environment where all individuals feel valued, seen, and empowered. We recognize that mental health cannot be separated from the broader social, political, and historical contexts that shape our lives. Our mission is to offer a space where healing and transformation can thrive—not in isolation, but as a deliberate act of resistance against systemic injustices.
Systemic oppression—rooted in racism, colonialism, ableism, sexism, heteronormativity, and intersecting forms of systemic inequity—continues to create profound barriers to well-being for many individuals and communities. For trans+, queer, and LGBTQ+ allies, these barriers are often exacerbated by societal stigma, systemic exclusion, and a lack of access to affirming care (Bhatia, 2018; Crenshaw, 1995). We centre the principles of equity, intersectionality, and social justice in every aspect of our practice, acknowledging that mental health is not merely an individual concern but a collective and systemic one.
At the heart of this work is an understanding of intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1995), which highlights how various social identities—such as race, gender, sexuality, and ability—interact to create overlapping experiences of privilege and oppression. For example, a queer disabled person of colour may navigate a therapeutic landscape fraught with assumptions and barriers that fail to honour the full complexity of their lived experiences. Our commitment to intersectionality challenges these limitations, ensuring that each individual is met with curiosity, compassion, and respect for their unique identity.
Our anti-oppression framework is also informed by the principles of decolonization, which calls on us to critically examine and disrupt the colonial ideologies that persist in mental health care. Eurocentric models of psychology have historically marginalized non-Western perspectives, treating them as inferior or irrelevant (Bhatia, 2018). By incorporating decolonizing practices into our therapeutic approach, we aim to amplify Indigenous, Black, and other historically silenced voices in mental health. This involves acknowledging the intergenerational impact of colonization and creating space for culturally responsive and affirming ways of healing.
Healing is political. As Dr. Shawn Ginwright (2018) argues in his work on healing-centred engagement, addressing trauma requires us to move beyond an individualistic, deficit-based lens and instead situate healing within the broader context of resilience, community, and systemic change. We adopt this perspective to resist the pathologization of marginalized identities and focus instead on empowerment and liberation.
This anti-oppression statement is not a static declaration but a living document. It reflects our current understanding of the complexities of oppression and our active engagement in dismantling it. As a living document, it will evolve alongside our continued learning, feedback from the community, and a commitment to accountability. We understand that this work is never “finished”—it requires humility, adaptability, and an openness to being challenged and changed.
Our Commitments
1.Accessibility: We prioritize the removal of barriers to care, including financial, physical, and systemic obstacles, to make our services available to those who need them most.
2.Cultural Responsiveness: We centre the lived experiences of marginalized communities and integrate non-Western healing practices into our work.
3.Transparency: We strive to minimize power imbalances in the therapeutic relationship by fostering collaboration, consent, and open communication.
4.Collective Liberation: We see our work as part of a broader movement toward equity and justice, aiming not only to support individual clients but also to contribute to systemic change.
As a therapeutic practice rooted in compassion, integrity, and social justice, we invite you to join us in the ongoing journey toward a more equitable and liberated future. Whether through feedback, conversation, or collaboration, we welcome your voice in shaping the culture of care we aspire to create.
Understanding the foundational concepts that guide anti-oppressive practice is crucial to creating a shared language and framework for equity and justice. These definitions provide the lens through which we approach therapy, accountability, and community engagement. They are not static but evolving, informed by ongoing scholarship, feedback, and reflection.
Oppression
Oppression is any systemic, institutional, or interpersonal behaviour or practice that marginalizes, silences, or disenfranchises individuals or communities based on their identities, experiences, or abilities. It is perpetuated through structures of power and privilege and manifests in explicit acts of violence, such as hate crimes or discriminatory policies, as well as insidious forms like microaggressions, cultural erasure, and implicit bias (Crenshaw et al., 1995). Over time, these layers of harm can accumulate, compounding the effects of systemic inequities on mental health and overall well-being.
In the therapeutic context, it is vital to recognize how oppression operates not only in society but also within mental health systems themselves. Traditional psychological models often ignore the lived realities of marginalized groups, perpetuating harm through misdiagnosis, stereotyping, and pathologization (Bhatia, 2018). Naming oppression and understanding its pervasive nature is the first step in dismantling its impact within and beyond therapy.
Intersectionality
Intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1995), describes how multiple social identities—such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability—intersect to shape individuals’ experiences of privilege or oppression. Intersectionality underscores that systems of oppression are interconnected, creating unique and often compounded challenges for those who live at the crossroads of multiple marginalized identities.
For example, a Black transgender woman may face racial discrimination, transmisogyny, and misogyny simultaneously, creating barriers to safety, health care, and social support. In therapy, failing to acknowledge the full complexity of her identity risks replicating the same systems of erasure that perpetuate her oppression. At Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC, we centre intersectionality by working to understand and validate the nuanced realities of our client’s lives, ensuring that no part of their identity is overlooked.
Decolonization
Decolonization is the active dismantling of colonial ideologies, practices, and structures that maintain power imbalances and marginalize non-Western ways of knowing and healing. In psychology, decolonization involves challenging Eurocentric frameworks that dominate the field, amplifying the voices of historically marginalized communities, and integrating culturally responsive practices into mental health care (Bhatia, 2018).
For centuries, colonialism has shaped the narratives around mental health, often portraying Indigenous and non-Western approaches as unscientific or inferior. This has led to the suppression of rich healing traditions that prioritize community, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of mind, body, and environment (Bhatia, 2018). At Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC, we strive to honour these traditions by adopting a holistic and inclusive approach to therapy that values diverse cultural narratives and resists the homogenization of psychological practices.
Allyship
Allyship is an active and ongoing practice of unlearning bias, advocating for equity, and supporting oppressed communities in dismantling systems of power and privilege. True allyship requires more than performative gestures; it demands accountability, humility, and a willingness to confront discomfort (Martín-Baró, 1994). It involves centring the voices of those directly impacted by oppression, amplifying their leadership, and using one’s privilege to challenge inequitable systems.
In the therapeutic space, allyship means creating a welcoming environment where clients feel seen and supported, regardless of their identity. It also involves self-reflection on the part of the therapist, recognizing how personal biases and systemic privileges may shape therapeutic interactions. Allyship is not a destination but a continuous process of growth rooted in accountability to the communities we serve.
Additional Concepts for Consideration
•Power and Privilege: Power refers to the ability to influence or control resources, decisions, and systems. Privilege is the unearned advantage that comes from being part of a dominant group (e.g., white, cisgender, able-bodied). Acknowledging power and privilege is essential to disrupting oppressive dynamics, both in therapy and in society.
•Microaggressions: Defined as subtle, often unintentional behaviours or comments that communicate hostility, derogation, or negative assumptions about marginalized groups. These cumulative acts can have significant mental health impacts (Sue et al., 2007).
•Healing-Centred Engagement: As Ginwright (2018) describes, this approach moves beyond trauma-informed care to focus on resilience, joy, and collective liberation. It acknowledges that healing is not just about reducing harm but also fostering empowerment and connectedness within a broader social justice context.
These foundational concepts inform every aspect of our work at Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC. By grounding our practice in these principles, we aim to create a therapeutic space that not only supports individual healing but also contributes to systemic change. We invite our clients, colleagues, and community members to join us in this shared journey toward equity and liberation.
We recognize the deep Eurocentric roots embedded within the field of psychology, where dominant frameworks often exclude or marginalize diverse identities, histories, and healing practices. This exclusion perpetuates harm, erasing the cultural richness and resilience of communities outside the Western paradigm. At Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC, we actively resist this legacy through a commitment to decolonizing mental health practices, acknowledging that healing is not only personal but also deeply political and communal.
Our Decolonizing Commitments
1. Centring the Narratives and Lived Experiences of Marginalized Communities
At the heart of decolonizing mental health is the amplification of voices that have historically been silenced. We prioritize the stories, wisdom, and lived realities of Indigenous, Black, racialized, queer, trans+, and disabled individuals, recognizing that these narratives carry profound insight into the intersections of identity, trauma, and resilience. As Sunil Bhatia (2018) emphasizes, validating these stories disrupts the dominance of Eurocentric frameworks and fosters a more equitable approach to psychological care.
2. Using Culturally Responsive Therapeutic Methods
Our practice honours non-Western frameworks of healing, which often emphasize collective well-being, spiritual interconnectedness, and a holistic understanding of health. These approaches contrast with the individualistic focus of traditional psychology, which frequently reduces complex human experiences to diagnostic labels or isolated symptoms (Bhatia, 2018). By integrating culturally responsive methods, we create therapeutic spaces that resonate deeply with the diverse cultural contexts of our clients.
Examples include:
•Incorporating Indigenous teachings on interconnectedness and community healing.
•Exploring art, storytelling, and body-centred practices rooted in non-Western traditions.
•Acknowledging spiritual and ancestral influences as valid components of mental health.
3. Challenging Individualistic Models of Mental Health
The individualistic lens of traditional psychology often frames mental health struggles as personal failings rather than the result of systemic injustices, such as racism, colonialism, and economic inequity. We reject this reductionist perspective in favour of community-oriented and collective approaches. Healing is not only about self-empowerment but also about fostering relational and systemic transformation (Ginwright, 2018).
For example:
•Encouraging community-based practices such as support groups or mutual aid networks.
•Exploring how family, cultural, and social systems influence mental health.
•Situating personal challenges within broader structural and historical contexts.
A Decolonizing Lens for Liberation
Through this decolonizing lens, we aim to validate and celebrate the complexity of the identities, histories, and narratives of those we serve. By resisting the erasure perpetuated by globalization, neoliberalism, and colonial legacies, we actively challenge the systems that seek to homogenize or invalidate diverse ways of being (Bhatia, 2018).
Decolonizing mental health is not a checklist but an ongoing commitment to unlearning harmful practices, listening to the communities we serve, and fostering spaces of empowerment and liberation. We understand that this work is collaborative and requires humility, accountability, and openness to growth.
By grounding our practice in decolonial principles, we strive to contribute to a larger movement of justice and equity in mental health care. We invite you to join us on this path, where healing becomes a radical act of reclaiming space, identity, and agency.
At Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC, our therapeutic approach is rooted in the values of equity, inclusivity, and justice. We recognize that therapy exists within the broader context of systemic inequities, and we actively strive to create a practice that challenges these barriers while fostering empowerment, connection, and healing.
Accessibility
We are committed to making therapy accessible to all individuals, recognizing that systemic barriers—such as financial constraints, ableism, and lack of representation—often prevent marginalized communities from accessing mental health care. Our efforts include:
•Offering sliding-scale fees to ensure affordability.
•Ensuring our physical and virtual spaces are accessible to people with disabilities, including accommodations for sensory, mobility, and communication needs.
•Using inclusive language and affirming all identities, ensuring that therapy feels welcoming and safe for trans+, queer, racialized, and disabled clients.
•Proactively addressing technological barriers to virtual care, including providing support for clients unfamiliar with digital platforms.
By addressing these obstacles, we aim to honour every client’s right to equitable mental health support.
Power Analysis
The therapeutic relationship inherently involves power dynamics, as therapists are often perceived as authority figures or gatekeepers to healing. At Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC, we recognize these dynamics and strive to minimize them through:
•Transparency: Clearly explaining the therapeutic process, goals, and expectations, and inviting questions to ensure mutual understanding.
•Informed Consent: Encouraging clients to co-create their therapy journey, allowing them to set boundaries, adjust goals, and make decisions that feel right for them.
•Collaborative Approaches: Valuing clients’ expertise in their own lives and centring their voice in all aspects of therapy.
This power-conscious approach acknowledges systemic inequities while fostering a space of mutual respect and trust.
Healing-Centred Engagement
Inspired by Dr. Shawn Ginwright’s (2018) healing-centred engagement framework, we move beyond the limitations of trauma-informed care to focus on:
•Resilience: Recognizing and celebrating the strengths clients bring to their healing journey.
•Agency: Empowering clients to reclaim their narratives and take active roles in their mental health.
•Connection: Situating healing within a relational and sociopolitical context, emphasizing community, culture, and collective well-being.
Unlike trauma-informed approaches that often centre pathology or harm, healing-centred engagement invites a more holistic and strengths-based perspective. It acknowledges the structural factors contributing to harm while prioritizing empowerment and joy as vital components of the healing process.
For instance:
•In therapy sessions, we explore how systemic oppression shapes personal experiences and validate the impact of societal structures on mental health.
•We encourage clients to engage in practices that foster connection, whether through creative expression, community involvement, or collective care.
A Shared Commitment to Justice and Healing
Through these commitments, we aim to create a therapeutic space that not only supports individual growth but also contributes to dismantling systemic inequities. We view therapy as a collaborative and transformative process where healing is deeply connected to justice, liberation, and collective well-being.
By grounding our work in accessibility, power analysis, and healing-centred engagement, we honour the complexity of each client’s journey and commit to fostering a space where healing is both possible and meaningful.
Accountability is a cornerstone of anti-oppressive practice. At Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC, we believe that building trust and fostering meaningful relationships with our clients and the broader community requires a commitment to transparency, humility, and active listening. We understand that accountability is not a one-time act but an ongoing process that demands reflection, responsiveness, and a willingness to grow.
Creating Spaces for Feedback and Dialogue
We actively invite feedback from clients, colleagues, and community members to help us identify blind spots, challenge assumptions, and enhance our practice. Feedback is not seen as criticism but as an opportunity for growth and learning. Our approach includes:
•Providing confidential channels for clients to share their experiences, suggestions, or concerns.
•Offering regular opportunities for dialogue, such as community consultations or feedback surveys, to ensure that diverse voices are heard.
•Engaging in peer supervision and consultation to reflect on our practice and address any areas of potential harm or bias.
We recognize that power dynamics can make it difficult for clients to offer honest feedback. To address this, we strive to create a culture of openness where clients feel safe to share their perspectives without fear of judgment or retaliation.
Restorative Justice in Practice
When harm occurs, whether within our therapeutic relationships or the broader community, we are committed to addressing it through restorative justice principles. Restorative justice focuses on acknowledging harm, fostering accountability, and repairing relationships in ways that centre the needs of those impacted (Martín-Baró, 1994).
Our restorative justice approach includes:
•Listening to those harmed: Prioritizing the voices of individuals who have experienced harm and centring their needs for healing and dignity.
•Acknowledging responsibility: Taking ownership of our actions and examining how systemic power dynamics may have contributed to harm.
•Collaborative resolution: Working with all parties involved to co-create solutions that foster repair and prevent future harm.
•Commitment to change: Using incidents of harm as opportunities to improve our practices, policies, and understanding.
For example, if a client identifies a microaggression or oppressive behaviour in a session, we commit to engaging in open dialogue, offering an authentic apology, and ensuring that changes are implemented to prevent recurrence.
Collective Accountability and Community Building
Our accountability extends beyond individual interactions to the broader systems and communities we engage with. We see ourselves as part of a collective effort to challenge oppression and build inclusive, equitable spaces. This includes:
•Supporting community-led initiatives that align with anti-oppressive and decolonizing principles.
•Engaging in advocacy work to challenge systemic barriers and promote equity in mental health care.
•Building partnerships with marginalized communities to amplify their voices and ensure our services remain relevant and responsive.
An Invitation to Join Us
We invite clients, colleagues, and community members to hold us accountable and join us in co-creating a practice rooted in equity, care, and justice. This commitment to community accountability is not just a promise but a practice—a way of continually striving to embody the values we stand for.
At Clayre Sessoms Psychotherapy ULC, we believe that meaningful change requires not only reflection and intention but also concrete action. To ensure that our anti-oppressive principles are actively integrated into our practice, we commit to the following actionable steps. These steps are designed to foster accountability, encourage growth, and create an environment where equity and justice are not merely aspirational but tangible.
1. Ongoing Education
Education is essential to cultivating a deeper understanding of systemic oppression and the ways it intersects with mental health care. Our commitment to lifelong learning includes:
•Participating in regular anti-oppression and cultural humility training to stay informed about emerging research, practices, and frameworks.
•Engaging in decolonial and liberation-focused workshops that challenge Eurocentric paradigms and uplift marginalized voices (Bhatia, 2018; Martín-Baró, 1994).
•Encouraging staff and colleagues to explore resources that deepen their understanding of intersectionality, trauma, and systemic inequities.
•Allocating time and resources for reflective practice to unpack personal biases and privileges.
2. Policy Review
Policies shape the foundation of our practice, and regular reviews ensure they remain aligned with our commitment to accessibility, equity, and justice. This involves:
•Conducting periodic reviews of intake procedures, cancellation policies, and payment structures to eliminate barriers for marginalized clients.
•Ensuring that our practice policies reflect the diverse needs of the communities we serve, particularly trans+, queer, racialized, and disabled clients.
•Consulting with community members, clients, and colleagues to identify and address any gaps or unintended exclusions in our policies.
•Creating guidelines for accountability that clearly outline steps for addressing harm and fostering repair within the practice.
3. Resource Sharing
Knowledge-sharing is a powerful tool for building community and fostering empowerment. We are committed to:
•Providing educational materials on topics such as intersectionality, trauma, resilience, and decolonization to clients and colleagues.
•Curating and distributing resources that support advocacy and self-education, including books, articles, podcasts, and workshops from diverse voices.
•Developing accessible guides that help clients navigate systemic barriers to mental health care, such as financial assistance programs or LGBTQ+-affirming services.
•Partnering with community organizations to amplify their work and connect clients with additional supports, such as mutual aid networks or culturally specific services.
4. Additional Steps for Consideration
To further our impact, we are exploring additional actions, such as:
•Community Engagement: Hosting free or low-cost workshops on mental health topics to increase accessibility and foster dialogue.
•Sustainability Practices: Examining how our operations can align with environmental justice principles, recognizing the intersection of ecological and social inequities.
•Feedback Loops: Establishing ongoing channels for clients and community members to offer input on our practices and suggest improvements.
These actionable steps reflect our commitment to turning principles into practice, ensuring that our therapeutic space is one of integrity, accountability, and care. We view these actions as part of a broader journey toward collective healing and liberation, and we invite you to join us in this ongoing work.
This anti-oppression statement represents our current understanding of equity, justice, and the systemic barriers faced by marginalized communities. However, we recognize that anti-oppression work is an ongoing journey—one that requires continuous reflection, learning, and growth. Our understanding of these issues will evolve as we listen to diverse voices, challenge our assumptions, and adapt to the ever-changing sociopolitical landscape.
Ongoing Reflection
We commit to regularly examining our practices, policies, and interactions to identify areas for improvement. Reflection is not an endpoint but a continual process that involves:
•Self-Assessment: Engaging in ongoing self-reflection to understand how our privileges, biases, and blind spots may impact our work.
•Practice Audits: Reviewing our therapeutic methods and client outcomes to ensure they align with our commitment to equity and inclusion.
•Community Dialogue: Incorporating feedback from clients, colleagues, and community partners to refine our approach and expand our perspective.
Continuous Learning
To remain responsive to the needs of the communities we serve, we actively seek opportunities for growth, including:
•Staying informed about emerging research, frameworks, and best practices in anti-oppression, decolonization, and equity-focused therapy.
•Participating in training and professional development that deepens our understanding of intersectionality and systemic inequities.
•Learning from the lived experiences of the individuals and communities we support, recognizing them as invaluable sources of knowledge and insight (Crenshaw et al., 1995).
Adaptation and Accountability
We understand that meaningful change requires more than reflection; it demands action and adaptation. As part of our commitment, we pledge to:
•Actively revise this document to reflect new insights, practices, and feedback.
•Hold ourselves accountable by setting measurable goals for improvement and publicly acknowledging areas where we fall short.
•Embrace discomfort as an essential part of growth, remaining open to critique and willing to make difficult changes when necessary.
An Invitation to Collaborate
This statement is a living document, intended to grow and change in collaboration with those it serves. We invite clients, colleagues, and community members to contribute their voices, offering feedback, suggestions, or critiques to help us refine our approach. Your input is invaluable in ensuring this statement remains a dynamic and effective tool for fostering equity and justice.
We view this collaborative process as an opportunity to not only improve our practice but also deepen our relationships with the communities we serve. Together, we can co-create a therapeutic space that embodies the principles of anti-oppression, decolonization, and collective liberation.
Bhatia, S. (2018). Decolonizing psychology: Globalization, social justice, and Indian youth identities. Oxford University Press.
Crenshaw, K., Gotanda, N., Peller, G., & Thomas, K. (1995). Critical race theory: The key writings that formed the movement. The New Press.
Ginwright, S. (2018). The future of healing: Shifting from trauma-informed care to healing-centered engagement. Medium.
Martín-Baró, I. (1994). Writings for a liberation psychology. Harvard University Press.