As psychotherapists practicing in the United States, we have studied the psychology of the mind intensely and become very familiar with it. However, in my experience, I have noticed that many therapists have been taught to approach therapy from an individualistic viewpoint rather than a collective viewpoint. Thus, affecting the way we engage clients in treatment.
We have primarily been unaware of several other factors of our common humanity that influence psychological well-being. As psychotherapists, very few of us have initiated conversations in the therapy room about spirituality and social change and their intersection with psychological well-being.
The events of this year, such as the uprising of the Black Lives Matter Movement, political unrest, and the impact of the coronavirus, have forced us into having conversations in the therapy room about racism, our rights as a society to make systemic changes and sickness, and death.
We have the opportunity now to look at these events and their impact up close. We have the chance to contemplate how we will talk about them in our sessions with clients in ways that will improve our clients’ well-being mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
I have noticed that many of my clients have become aware that social change, systemic change, physical well-being, and spirituality are topics they want to discuss in our sessions. They want to determine how these topics contribute to their mental and emotional well-being and are beginning to see their necessity to create stability in an unstable society.
Some clients have begun looking deeply into their own implicit biases, the effect of racism in their communities, and the coronavirus’s effect on vulnerable populations and the people they love and care about.
They are searching for ways in the therapy room to navigate this territory, forcing psychotherapists to also think about well-being in a broader sense.
As a South Asian woman, I learned the importance of spiritual investigation and spiritual connection from an early age. I have had the advantage of having an established spiritual practice for many years before 2020. My training has consisted of mindfulness practices and meditation techniques that have taught me how to become mindfully present with my own human experience from moment to moment, non-judgmentally.
This practice has helped me create more space for empathy and compassion for myself and others from different walks of life, which has also evoked a more profound sense of connection to the struggles experienced by underprivileged groups.
“I have noticed that many of my clients have become aware that social change, systemic change, physical well-being, and spirituality are topics they want to discuss in our sessions.”
I recognize the necessity for social change for the well-being of all and believe that my spiritual practices have helped me in this direction. I am beginning to see more clearly the work that still needs to be done.
My clients who have practiced mindfulness skills or other spiritual practices have found a way to help themselves create a sense of empowerment during this time and connect to a sense of purpose.
This purpose has allowed them to make the changes they want to see in their own lives. Some of them have explored how their sense of well-being is connected to others’ well-being and have started to think about how they want to advocate for causes they feel strongly about.
While exploring these issues, I have seen empathy, understanding, and wisdom develop. I have also had to hold space for my clients’ fears and anger around the prospect of things not changing if we do not make an effort to change our behavior, environment, values, and thinking individually.
I see this as huge progress and wonder about how we, as psychotherapists, can help guide our clients in asking more questions and becoming curious about how this all affects their mental well-being and that of others.
My teen clients especially have become invigorated by the black lives matter movement and other movements that have mobilized them to want to stand up for the rights of marginalized people. This interest has invoked a certain energy in them that is focused on progressive and much-needed change.
These teens are very aware of how social change will affect them mentally and emotionally and bring a sense of community in an otherwise individualistic society.
They are ready for change, and we must find ways to help them direct this renewed energy.
My South Asian clients have also started to wake up to the fact that implicit biases exist within their communities. In therapy, they have talked about their role in educating others and having the conversations necessary to create more empathy and understanding among people of different races and cultures. I see this as progress for the Asian community. It helps them see past the culturally developed shame responses that keep them stuck in a cycle of keeping secrets and not being open about their feelings. They are using their voices to speak out and offer their skills for social change.
The events of 2020 have been difficult. We have experienced many losses this year, and we have become more aware of the changes that need to happen. Psychotherapists need to think about how to prioritize the creation of a knowledgeable, wise, insight -orientated, compassionate holding environment for our clients so we can provide the best care possible. We need to provide an environment conducive for our clients to explore their spiritual values, ideas about making social and systemic changes, getting in touch with implicit biases, and thoughts and emotions around individual and community well-being.
I look forward to seeing how psychotherapists’ education evolves to include courses that help us learn how to incorporate safe practices in therapy that will help our clients explore openly and fully the topics discussed above.
As psychotherapists, we need to start asking questions about our own spiritual practices and their influence on our society and community. We also need to start exploring our own implicit biases and values to learn about how we want to engage in social change. I hope that education for psychotherapists will support us in supporting ourselves and our clients.
Sejal Acharya, M.S.Ed., LCPC, is a mental health counselor and owner of Be Counseling LLC. She holds a certificate from the Institute of meditation and psychotherapy and a certificate as a registered dual-disorder practitioner. She has been in private practice for almost 12 years. Prior to private practice, she worked for a community counseling center in the day program running psycho-educational groups for clients with co-occurring disorders. She loves working with adults and adolescents with depression, anxiety and substance abuse issues. Her expertise is in teaching mindfulness skills, breathing techniques and providing insight and wisdom on unconscious behaviors. She also teaches self-compassion practices to help clients connect to a part of their being that they often feel disconnected from.