Statement on Anti-Racism

As members of the Saint Xavier University community, mental health professionals, and compassionate human beings, we are committed to dismantling racism and supporting those students who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) in our community and who have faced marginalization, violence, and oppression. As mental health professionals, we recognize the unique role that racism has on the mental and emotional well-being of BIPOC communities in our country. We believe that identifying and addressing these issues is critical to supporting the mental health of our clients.

We acknowledge that being anti-racist is an ongoing process of reflection, discussion, and action. As a department committed to anti-racism, we vow to purposefully identify, discuss and challenge issues of individual and systemic racism and the impact(s) they have on our campus, our department and our clients. 

• We are committed to explicitly and publicly affirming our identity as an anti-racist department.
• We are committed to staying informed on the latest research pertaining to the impacts of racism on mental health, and related resources.
• We are committed to routinely examining our department's policies, programs, practices and culture to identify and challenge any instances of individual, structural or institutional racism.
• We are committed to implementing strategies that dismantle racism within all aspects of our department, university, and society.