CAPT

Collective for Asian Psychological Therapists

A collective for Asian psychological therapists of all modalities (aspiring, trainee and qualified) coming together to reflect, learn and grow.

The collective is for anyone who self-identifies as Asian, and is an aspiring, trainee or qualified psychological therapist. If this is you, please click on the link below to join our community!

Mission Statement

We are a collective of aspiring, training and practicing psychological therapists in the UK who self-identify as Asian and who have come together in recognition of our locally minoritized identity to form a supportive community. We aim to combat racist dominant narratives which exist in our field and embed this pursuit into our practice to promote and create sustainable change for both therapists and patients alike.

As a global majority with many ethnicities, cultures and religions represented in our ranks, our collective is defined by intersectionality, diversity and inclusion. We aspire to embrace difference without othering and wish to find ways to support each other up the ladder. We hope to reconcile our identities to the field of applied psychology without colluding with problematic power structures and dynamics.

As Members, we aim to be:

  • Motivated

  • Curious

  • Safe

  • Non-judgemental and supportive

  • Challenging our own assumptions and privilege

  • Uplifting and restorative

  • Hopeful!

In the community, we aim to:

  • Raise silent voices

  • Conduct critical research

  • Remain politically active and vocal about inequity and injustice

  • Decolonise the narrative and address racism

  • Empower one another

  • Communicate inwards and outwards

  • Amplify the Eastern narrative

  • Acknowledge our multiple realities, embrace our unique, rich identities and highlight our diversity of experience

As we continue to grow we have organised several events and reflective practice sessions.

So far, we have held a Clinical Psychology Interview Support session for those who had been offered interviews for the DClinPsy in April 2020. We also created a interview preparation pack for our members. We are currently preparing events to support members with upcoming Doctorate applications

Our reflective practises are held via Zoom, which allows for widespread participation. We hope to maintain a space for both reflection and constructive progress.

We have had the privilege to host rich, open and thoughtful discussions on "Belonging and changing narratives on immigrants", "Intersectionality", "Anti-Blackness in the Asian Community", "From Reflection to Action: Social Justice in Practise" and most recently, "How under-representation shapes our experience"

The news over the past few months has been enraging and horrifying. As Asian psychological professionals, we are all too aware of the ways in which systemic racism is experienced within our communities. However, we remain cognisant of the differences between our oppression and that of our Black brothers and sisters.

As an organisation, we stand in solidarity with the Black community. We denounce systemic anti-blackness. We denounce police brutality and governmental inaction. We denounce the deaths and murders of Black men, women and children at the hands of post-colonial and racist systems, be they by the police or COVID-19. We aim to do better as a collective, in increasing self-awareness, challenging and eradicating anti-black sentiment, and supporting the Black community actively emphatically.

With this in mind, we have created an Anti-Racism Self-Education Guide. This resource was designed with the British-Asian community in mind, but it will hopefully benefit anyone who seeks to learn and work towards effective allyship with the Black community.

© Collective for Asian Psychological Therapists. All rights reserved.

( Made with Carrd )