Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody Li.
Hi Melody, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story begins with my ancestors who are from Hong Kong, which was a British colony until 1997. They survived colonialism, and this is where I was born. Being born in a British colony meant that I was indoctrinated & educated by colonial forces that then led to embodiment of internalized oppressions including racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and also capitalism. This led my family and me on an immigrant journey, which is both a privilege (as I was not a refugee) and a rupture. This journey informed me about the experiences of displaced peoples and how it feels to be uprooted and to acculturate in order to survive, which also came with experiencing prejudice, discrimination, and marginalization. Growing up in so-called Canada and realizing the land that received me was also stolen land, I began asking myself: what is my duty as a colonized person and diasporic settler that is now on stolen land? What is my responsibility?
I think my first responsibility is to heal from the injuries of colonialism and advocate for those that have also been or are being oppressed by colonial forces. All of this is an unraveling of my journey from growing up and also informed me through my education as a therapist. In becoming a therapist, I realized how colonial the whole process is. Education, supervision, licensure and trainings do not reflect us Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Queer, Trans, Non-binary, Disabled and Neurodivergent folks. The entire system is classist, ableist and capitalistic.
From there came the desire to build community. I desired to bring together folks that share marginalized experiences and are also passionate about healing, restoration, and reclamation. This started at the local community level with our Austin Therapists of Color community and expanded towards Austin Therapists of Color. These are spaces for therapists of Color to support and learn with one another and also dream and imagine how we dismantle inequitable and oppressive practices in our field while also uplifting & investing in future generations.
When therapists from other cities started to reach out and wanted to know more about our communities, I came to realize that this need extends to many places, which is where the idea for Inclusive Therapists came from. There was a need for diverse therapists to build community around shared values in mental health liberation, so we could become more accessible for service-users with marginalized identities to find care in a simpler, safer way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road because what we’re doing is radical and oftentimes unpopular. We are going against the grain, and the grain in the mental health field is highly White dominant, cis-hetero normative, classist, and abelist. The Inclusive Therapists community and I wrestle with this each day in our work. We ask, “how can we participate in the mental health field while also fighting to shift and change it,” because this is the work that we love. So we do experience pushback – I personally experience targeting and hatred. On top of that, these dominant voices, whether it be corporations, professional associations, or major organizations, hold a lot of power and attempt to make our work insignificant. What gives me hope is that more and more people join our movement each day. We also partner and collaborate with many trans-disciplinary organizations inside and outside of mental health that share our visions and values, which gives me hope because there is strength and power in numbers.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As a queer immigrant of color, despite my many privileges, I had my fair share of struggles in finding a therapist that gets me. I became tired of educating my therapist on my multi-cultures, racialized trauma, and what it’s like to navigate systemic injustices impacting my communities. I have been gaslighted by therapists that upheld oppressive practices. The therapist in me is pained by hearing stories from friends and people with marginalized identities that were burned in therapy. I admired how despite the retraumatization, folks still took courage to give therapy another chance.
My therapist friend Sam and I created Austin Counseling Collective, a BI&POC & LGBTQ+ focused mental health space in 2015. Subsequently, several therapists of color and I launched the Austin Therapists of Color community where we support one another and share resources for our clients of color. When other (QT)BIPOC therapists learned about our work, they wanted to join our mission! This led to me creating the Inclusive Therapists network across the US and Canada. Entering into a therapeutic relationship should not feel like a gamble. My purpose is to help connect social justice and liberation-oriented therapists with people of all identities in all bodies that are ready to heal, grow and thrive.
Thus, Inclusive Therapists is passionate about helping BIPOC and LGBTQIA2+ individuals access equitable mental health services while also acting as an agent for positive change as an advocate for mental health liberation. We push the boundaries in mental health by connecting and supporting the community through our therapist directory in the following ways: bridging over 13,000 minoritized people with liberatory oriented, culturally responsive mental health care services, supporting 3000+ therapist members’ practices and professional development, with monthly growth of 150+ members, petitioning against psychologists with racist ideology, creating over 30 free professional development and collective healing events for the community in the midst of COVID, social uprisings, global crisis, etc., creating new learning platforms for marginalized clinicians that cannot locate themselves in dominant culture schools and trainings, centering justice and liberation, Indigenous Sovereignty, intergenerational healing and ecological wellness as foundation for collective mental well being.
People with marginalized identities have disproportionately less access to quality mental health care. This problem is amplified during COVID, in combination with racialized traumas, anti-LGBTQ+ rulings, migrant crisis that compound on our collective wellbeing.
Inclusive Therapists offer a safer, simpler way for people with marginalized identities to connect with culturally responsive, social justice-oriented mental health services. We center the needs of BIPOC & 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities, and the span of the neurodiversity spectrum.
Some services we offer include:
1) Providing a comprehensive therapist directory with a free personalized clinician-matching service.
2) Extending marketing and professional support for minoritized therapists to develop thriving practices.
3) Offering free mental health education and resources to the community and equity-centered professional training.
4) Leading mental health liberation advocacy to enhance quality care access for minoritized communities.
5) Investing into future clinicians with marginalized identities through mentorship and financial support.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
COVID has been hard on all of our mental health, and especially as we enter into the winter season, many of us may be feeling more anxious, depressed or a lack of motivation. I want to let folks know that they’re not alone and are deserving of care. If there is anyone, especially for folks with marginalized identity, that would love some support, we invite you to check our website to find a therapist that honors and celebrates your full identity. We also have a therapist matching service where we hand select a therapist according to your needs, so we are happy to assist and support in your search as well. For anyone that would like to learn more about decolonial and liberatory mental health, you’re always welcome to join community for free. You don’t have to be a therapist. You are invited to come learn, participate, and be part of our community.
Please also check out our sibling non-profit, Mental Health Liberation, set to launch in early 2022.
Together, we bridge BI&POC with quality mental health care and empower clinicians with marginalized identities.
Our upcoming programs uplifting minoritized mental health:
1) BI&POC Therapy Fund: Free therapy services and healing circles for Black, Indigenous and Communities of Color.
2) Liberatory Student Support: Mentorship & peer support for students with marginalized identities pursuing careers in mental health.
3) Equitable Supervision Circle: Community-funded, liberation-oriented clinical supervision for emerging therapists.
Follow, amplify, and donate if you have the means. Thank you for your support!
Website: http://mentalhealthliberation.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mhliberation
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHLiberation/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://inclusivetherapists.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inclusivetherapists
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InclusiveTherapy
