Diversity column from Homepage 
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My plea and hope is that each of us invite clients to bring up these issues as they are relevant for them, and create an intentional space specifically for these discussions. This can be as simple as "The theme of racial justice has been coming up a lot lately. Is this something you'd like to discuss?" 

The intention is not to force clients to speak about these topics or defer their other therapeutic goals, but rather to give them permission to do so if they would like. There are implicit power dynamics in the therapist-client relationship, and this is only compounded by differences in race. I've likened the notion of "permission giving" to the PLISSIT model for sex therapy: Giving permission to speak about the topic can be the first, and most important, step in affording a necessary space for discussion. 

Contrarily, not doing this can enable our clients' avoidance of difficult topics or amplify their fears that "this is not something WE can talk about." For more on this, please see the first set of resources and links below. 

The intention of recent events like #BlackOutTuesday is to mute ourselves in order to make space for often unheard/ignored black and brown voices, so you may also see hashtags encouraging us to Amplify Melanated Voices. 

Out of respect for this, I will keep my words brief and leave you all with several resources below. I have also attached two links that I believe can spark some good food for thought.

Please take care of yourselves and take your time in digesting this material as you find openness to it. There are a myriad of ways to help, support, and evolve here. 

Thank you for your time, 

Harpreet Malla, Ph.D.