The Dallas Psychological Association is committed to supporting mental health providers as we promote the mental health and well-being of our clients. Thus, we are concerned about the impact recent policy developments may have on diversity training for racial minorities and women as well as access to mental health providers of LGBTQ and disabled individuals in Texas.
Why now? Why is the rallying cry for much-needed, long overdue awareness of and action around racial injustice gaining so much traction in the past few months? Hypotheses abound, but what is clear is that there has never been a time like this in our history – a time where an unprecedented groundswell of people of diverse backgrounds are motivated and energized to learn more, understand more and do more to heal the trauma of racial inequity in our country. For whatever reason, the killing of George Floyd clearly was a catalyst for this opportunity for growth, and we as DPA are determined to do our part to promote progress and healing.
As such, we have created a Diversity Task Force and are exploring ways to meaningfully address the impacts of social injustice in our world. We will be more intentional about promoting topics of diversity and social justice aside from our commitment to regularly-scheduled diversity CEU opportunities. We will find more opportunities for our members to learn from our colleagues of diverse backgrounds about the impacts of racism and other systematic oppression. We are committed to exploring these topics within ourselves as well as within the various structures in our communities. We endeavor to welcome voices across the political spectrum as we fulfill these goals. As mental health providers we are as diverse in our experiences and beliefs as the world at large – but we can rally around our shared value of supporting diversity and promoting emotional health and well-being for all individuals.
We welcome your input on the opportunities in front of us to learn and make change in this important frontier of mental health. If you are interested in serving on the task force or have any suggestions please feel free to contact us by email. We look forward to ongoing discussions on this important topic.