Texas Therapists for Social Justice

About TTSJ

Why do we exist?

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Cultural Competence, and any recognition of oppressive systems have become increasingly devalued and demonized across the U.S., especially in Southern areas, including Texas. This racist, classist, sexist, ableist, “anti-woke” movement is pernicious and only emboldened by the Trump administration’s hateful rhetoric and actions, including recent Executive Orders. We in the mental health field have witnessed this specifically with regard to discriminatory positions made by regulatory boards, legislators, and even some therapists in Texas.In response, over a dozen therapists across Texas joined to create a statewide, cross-discipline coalition of mental health providers and students who understand the necessity of DEI, social justice in our work and are committed to actively promoting these values while dismantling oppressive systems that disproportionately harm vulnerable groups, including people of color, queer and trans folks, disabled people, and other so-called minorities.Texas Therapists for Social Justice (TTSJ) is a coalition of mental health providers and students whose mission is to advance social justice within mental health care by demonstrating commitments to anti-oppressive care, advocacy for systemic change and the advancement of equity, promotion of inclusive practices, and increasing access to safe and affirming care in Texas.We are a community and movement for therapists who understand that our work is inherently political, cultural competence is not optional, the mental health industrial complex is harmful, and working to be anti-racist, decolonial, culturally responsible, and affirming are lifelong tasks. Our goals are to share information, challenges, training opportunities, and resources with each other.

Leadership

Mission & Principles

Mission Statement

Texas Therapists for Social Justice (TTSJ) is a coalition of mental health providers and students who believe that culturally-responsible practice is central to the field of mental health care and thus hold ourselves to a high professional standard of training and internal work. In order to engage in responsible practice, we acknowledge the vast diversity of Texans and the inequities that those of marginalized and intersecting identities face in the pursuit of wellbeing and resources.Our mission is to advance social justice within mental health care by demonstrating commitments to anti-oppressive care, advocacy for systemic change and the advancement of equity, promotion of inclusive practices, and increasing access to safe and affirming care in Texas.

Principles

Please click on the principle to see our commitments and definitions.

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Advocacy

We recognize that the personal is political; therefore, we actively engage in advocacy, policy work, and community organizing to address systemic injustices affecting mental health and well-being.Advocacy is at the heart of our mission as an organization. We are committed to making sure that we are using our voices, work, and skills to shed light on injustices that we see and experience. We will be committed to different forms of advocacy, understanding that any movement needs to be fought on many fronts. We are committed to being inclusive and widespread with our advocacy efforts to ensure we are not perpetuating injustices within our communities.

Justice

We will ensure equity in distributing opportunities, resources, and accountability. We will be justice-minded in how we advocate, educate, and organize.We are committed to holding each other and the systems that we exist in accountable for the ways that they perpetuate injustice. We recognize that the systems we are navigating are a part of the oppression experienced by ourselves and our clients. The thing that will be at the center of our work will be the understanding that every person deserves to live a life of value, flourishing, and liberation. We recognize that true justice starts with accountability within ourselves, then our community, and then more broadly in the world. We are deeply committed to the hard work of accountability, firstly for leadership and members, and then seeking accountability from the systems that we work within.

Liberation

We make it a priority to center the most impacted and marginalized.
We recognize that injustice for any is an injustice to all. Therefore, we will pursue liberation for every marginalized people.Liberation is centered on the freedom from systems of oppression for EVERY marginalized community. As well as developing agency and empowerment for each person to fight against systems of oppression. We recognize that any people in chains means we are all in chains. As an organization, we are committed to ensuring that systems of oppression are held accountable and dismantled.

Cultural Humility & Awareness

We will uplift and center voices of marginalized communities and will be aware of the biases that exist both personally and as an organization. We recognize and acknowledge white supremacy and the colonial origins of our field and aim to dismantle and decolonize the work.White supremacy is about the systemic and intentional belief that white bodied people are superior to every other race and, as a result of that belief, should be able to dominate society in culture, representation, and rights. We stand against white supremacy, recognizing that it is at the core of historic and present violence against BIPOC communities both nationally and internationally. We are committed to dismantling systems of white supremacy both internally as an organization and externally. We are committed to making sure that white bodied people are not centered in the work that we do.We are committed to recognizing our individual and organizational blindspots regarding cultural understanding. While we are committed to recognizing our blindspots, we are equally committed to uplifting the voices of those in the communities we seek understanding of. We are committed as an organization to recognizing the value of all of those in our community and the importance of including a variety of voices in advocacy, education, and leadership. We pledge to remain open, responsive, and accountable in our efforts.

Intersectionality

We recognize that intersectionality plays a major part in the experience of social injustices.
We honor and acknowledge how race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and other factors impact experiences.Intersectionality was coined and started by civil rights activist and scholar Kimberle Crenshaw. This term was a response to the investigation of intersecting disadvantageous factors. Intersectionality is being committed to seeing each person as holistic and complex. Recognizing that each person has different experiences, as the compounding forms of inequality influence their identity.We are committed to understanding the lived experiences of members resulting from the unique combinations of discriminated identities. We will value the lived experience of our community over theories. We recognize that intersectionality allows us to be inclusive of the fight for justice, recognizing that seeing anything in strictly binary terms leaves people in the margins.As an organization we recognize that there are differing levels of ability and resourcing that people need to thrive in community. We are committed to making every effort to create accessibility in our advocacy efforts, education, and community gatherings. We affirm the value of all of those in our community with disabilities that are both visible and invisible. We see the beauty of our community and the importance of diversity in ability.

Transparency

We recognize the power inherent in the profession and seek to dismantle that through transparency with the ways that we are advocating and organizing.

Sustainability

We understand that justice work needs to be rooted in sustainable practices, and as a result, we seek to support members in care as we continue the fight against injustice.

Anti-Oppression & Accountability

We will continually educate ourselves on how our biases and systemic structures cause harm. We prioritize dismantling any forms of oppression and injustice, and we will make efforts towards repair when harm occurs.We recognize that the Mental Health Industrial Complex has been built on the backs of indigenous and minority communities and has historically upheld white supremacy. We recognize that there is deep-rooted colonialism, sexism, classism, ableism, fatphobia, white supremacy, heteronormativity and much more. These things can cause harm, violence, further marginalization, inequality, and psychological damage, to name a few impacts.In response to these understandings, we are committed to creating an organization both internally and externally that is committed to action that dismantles these systemic injustices. We are committed to actions that uplift the voices of those in our community who are most marginalized.

Interdisciplinary

We will work with licensed mental health professionals, students, and community workers to work towards justice.We are committed to making sure that there is a diverse set of voices that are both represented in the leadership as well as within the membership. We recognize that healers come in many different forms, both in vocation and culturally. We strive to be inclusive in the disciplines that we represent and seek to learn from each other.

Continual Learning

We recognize justice work is an ongoing process that requires continual learning and unlearning.We are committed to continual learning. Recognizing that there is no point at which we are above learning and reproach. We are willing and committed to learning new information and allowing that to inform the ways that we proceed forward. We prioritize learning often and with humility.As a result of this belief, we are committed to providing robust learning opportunities for members and leadership to grow advocates and professionals.

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Land Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge that we are meeting on the Indigenous lands of Turtle Island, the ancestral name for what now is called North America. Moreover, in recognition of the systemic cruelty and violence enacted on them, we would like to acknowledge the Alabama-Coushatta, Caddo, Carrizo/Comecrudo, Coahuiltecan, Comanche, Kickapoo, Lipan Apache, Tonkawa and Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, and all the American Indian and Indigenous Peoples and communities who have been or have become a part of these lands and territories in Texas.