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Hello, my name is Aurora
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Brown. I’m a Registered Counsellor
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in Cape Town, South Africa and host
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of the new podcast Intersectional
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Psychology. I believe
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that everyone deserves to live with
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their optimal mental health. So
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caring for mental health means
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caring about the factors impacting our
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mental health. The result?
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Lasting change and resilience,
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both in the counseling room and in the
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world. For
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example, working in under
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resourced communities, it often seems
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that the mental health challenges my
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clients face are caused,
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or at the very least
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exacerbated by factors
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beyond their control
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like poverty, racism,
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sexism, classism,
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homophobia. Transphobia,
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stigma, unemployment, lack of
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housing, lack of infrastructure, lack of
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access to healthcare. The list
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goes on, but. You get
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the idea.
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The conventional wisdom for councillors
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has been to teach clients
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coping strategies and to build
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their capacity to manage and live
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with these inequities and
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discrimination. But
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is that really enough?
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If we are caring for their mental health,
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shouldn’t we be addressing the
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intersecting systems of oppression that
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impact their mental health?
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Social justice is an essential
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dimension of cultural competence
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and ethical practice, which are
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critical for us all to remain
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effective and competitive in
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our changing multicultural societies.
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And for those of you in private practice
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who work predominantly with high income
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clients, it’s not only traditionally
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marginalized groups that suffer from
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social injustice.
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Women are still paid less for the same
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work as men, and women still
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bear the brunt of housework and
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child care. Older adults
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are all impacted by ageism.
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And men. Well, as Belle
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Hooks wrote in her 2004 book The
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World to Change, the
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first act of violence that patriarchy
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demands of males is not violence
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towards women. Instead,
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patriarchy demands of all males that
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they engage in acts of psychic self
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mutilation, that they kill off
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the emotional parts of themselves.
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If an individual is not successful in
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emotionally crippling himself. He
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can count on patriarchal men to
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enact rituals of power that will
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assault his self esteem.
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And thus men are facing a
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crisis of mental health.
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A crisis that is caused by centuries
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of capitalist and patriarchal
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structures that value
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competition over collaboration.
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That value comparison over camaraderie.
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Let’s say men don’t cry.
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These systems of oppression have taught
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all of us to measure success
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by whether we are ahead or
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behind of our peers.
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Capitalism and patriarchy are even
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built into social media algorithms.
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These algorithms taunt us with the best
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lives our contacts are
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living, convincing us that
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success is a 0 sum game,
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that only one person can be the
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winner. And that if
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others have more than us, then we are
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failing or falling short.
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And we all buy into that.
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We all perpetuate these systems.
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But it doesn’t have to be that way.
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To truly improve the quality of life for
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ourselves, our friends and
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family, and our clients,
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we have to dismantle the structures that
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place quantifiable value on
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human lives, saying this person
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is worth more than that person.
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Even in private practice,
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understanding the broader social systems
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affecting your clients can help you
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provide more effective therapy
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and deepen your connection with a lived
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experiences.
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Being aware of social justice could
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enable you to help clients overcome
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societal pressures contributing to
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anxiety and depression.
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Recognize privileged dynamics in
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therapeutic relationships.
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And improve your cultural competence and
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broaden your client bases.
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And for those of you. This
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idea of confronting systemic
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issues is not new.
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In fact, Doctor Martin Luther King
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Junior addressed it powerfully in
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a 1967 speechto the
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American Psychological Association
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just seven months before his
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assassination. His call
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to action is as powerful and
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relevant today as it was back
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then. Now, I
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obviously cannot fully embody the
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weight of Doctor King’s experiences
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or the voices of the black leaders who
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have fought so hard for justice and
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equity here in South Africa, the
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US, and around the world,
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But I do want to honor them.
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The following excerpt resonates deeply
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with a person with a purpose of this
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podcast to challenge systems of
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oppression and work towards
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justice in every area of life.
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With that in mind, here are Doctor
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King’s words.
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I am sure that we will recognize that
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there are some things in our society,
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some things in our world, to which we
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should never be adjusted.
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There are some things concerning which we
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must always be maladjusted
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if we are to be people of goodwill.
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We must never adjust ourselves to
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racial discrimination and racial
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segregation. We must
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never adjust ourselves to religious
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bigotry. We must
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never adjust ourselves to economic
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conditions that take necessities from the
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many to give luxuries to the few.
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We must never adjust ourselves to the
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madness of militarism and the
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self defeating effects of physical
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violence. Thus, it
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may well be that our world is in
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dire need of a new organization.
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The International Association for the
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advancement of creative
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maladjustment.
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Doctor King declared that through such
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creative maladjustment to systems of
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oppression, we may be able to
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emerge from the bleak and desolate
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midnight of man’s inhumanity to
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man into the bright and
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glittering Daybreak of Freedom
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and Justice.
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Doctor King’s call for creative
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maladjustment is the spirit that
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guides this podcast.
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By questioning systems of oppression and
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striving for justice, we
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aim to improve mental health outcomes for
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everyone. This
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podcast will also highlight how
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frameworks like Intersectionality
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can help us uncover hidden biases
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and better support our clients.
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We’ll cover topics like navigating
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cultural competence, decolonizing
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counselling in practice, applying an
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intersectional lens to common
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presenting complaints. And
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supporting marginalized clients
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alongside interviews with experts
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and people with lived experience at the
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juncture of psychology and social
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justice.
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And none of this would be possible
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without the work of people like black
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feminist and legal scholar Kimberly
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Crenshaw. While Crenshaw
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named interfectionality in
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1989, black feminists
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had been championing this idea for
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centuries, from Maria W
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Stewart and Sojourner Truth in the 19th
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century to the ANC Women’s
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League, the Kombahi River Collective
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bell hooks and our very own
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Puma de Naoga Krolla in more recent
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times. As a
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counselor, I’ve seen how overlapping
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systems of oppression like racism,
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sexism, and classism affect mental
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health. For mental health professionals,
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this podcast offers practical tools
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and insights to improve your practice
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and strengthen connections with diverse
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clients. You’ll also be able to
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earn CPD points from some episodes of the
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podcast. I’ll let you know whenever an
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accredited episode is coming up.
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You will be able to complete a
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questionnaire or attend live sessions to
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get these points. So you can grow
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professionally while helping to create a
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fairer world. But I
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also have something extra for anyone who
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is not a healthcare professional who is
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just looking to make a difference in
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their own mental health or their
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community. Now
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let me just say that there will never be
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any third party ads on intersectional
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psychology, which is great because
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it means that you can be sure all the
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mental health information shared here is
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free from corporate influence and bias.
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However, it also means that this
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podcast is only made possible by
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you, the listener. So
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if you enjoy this podcast or find value
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in it, please consider joining my
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Patreon for as little as three U.S.
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dollars per month. Your
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contributions will be used to improve the
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production and cover the costs to
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research, write, record
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and edit each episode of this podcast,
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and to host our guests.
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In return, you’ll get exclusive Patreon
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benefits, including bonus
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episodes, additional guided
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mindfulness recordings, group
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discussions, and more.
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So if you’re a mental health professional
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who cares about social justice?
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Or someone looking to make meaningful
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changes in your mental health and
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community. Join me on intersectional
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psychology. In
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challenging times like these, as
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injustice persists globally,
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Doctor King’s words offer guidance and
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hope. Let’s create
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a fairer, healthier world together
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because everyone deserves good mental
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health.
Intersectional Psychology 
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