Day 2 Reflections

Firstly I thought the TedTalk video was awesome. I knew of some of these incidents (baring the oak pool) but never knew of it from a racial lens.

To the question, I think there is a disparity in access to support and services. When I was working in social work at JRI, I worked exclusively with families who had medicare or masshealth or were DCF/DMH referred. Very few of those clients lived in Boston and most lived in Dorchester, Roxbury, public housing, JP etc.and most were families of color. Most of them did not go to schools of preference but that was just the closest school or what they were assigned too. Most didn't have the knowledge for how to advocate for themselves. So the best services they could get for their kids was what ever the school counselor could provide or overworked and burnt out social workers (me). This is IF they knew they could advocate, get access to services, and even acknowledged their kids mental health. I don't have the knowledge to explain how we got here, but knowing the history of segregation in Boston, I'd bet that racial policies helped contribute

When I think of the costs of white supremacy, I think of all the brilliant minds that have been shut-out or unwelcome to the field, minds that could have created innovative and valuable treatments. I think about how this supremacy impacts something as influential as the DSM and how we use it. As someone who likes to practice from a CBT-based mode, I need to step-back and reconsider what it means to name thoughts as "automatic" in POC or ask them to perform exposure work given the risks they may face performing these in the world.