Decolonizing Therapy
Western therapy often positions itself as the standard for mental health care, but mental and emotional healing existed long before psychology as we know it today. At MLC, we recognize that many Western mental health models are rooted in colonialism, whiteness, and Eurocentric norms, often dismissing or erasing ancestral, indigenous, and non-Western ways of healing.
Decolonizing therapy means challenging these frameworks and reclaiming mental health care that is culturally affirming, community-centered, and honors multiple ways of knowing and healing. This includes:
- Challenging the pathologization of non-Western emotional expression and coping strategies. Many cultural ways of processing emotions—whether through spirituality, ritual, storytelling, movement, or communal care—have been labeled as “irrational” or “unscientific” by Western psychology. We reject this framing.
- Honoring ancestral and indigenous healing practices. Therapy doesn’t have to be separate from herbalism, spirituality, meditation, communal rituals, or energy work—practices that many cultures have used for centuries.
- Recognizing that individualism isn’t the only path to healing. Many therapy models assume that independence is the goal, ignoring how interdependence and community care are central to healing in many cultures.
- Naming the harm of colonial psychology. From forced institutionalization to the criminalization of neurodivergent and disabled people, psychology has been used as a tool of control. We work to unlearn these harmful narratives and create space for healing that doesn’t force you to conform to oppressive norms.
Decolonizing therapy isn’t just about what we reject—it’s about what we reclaim. It’s about centering your lived experience, valuing ancestral wisdom, and creating a space where healing feels liberatory, not just tolerable.
