Therapists need to go beyond empathy to solidarity

I am crediting my learning lineage of this issue to:

• Ji-Youn Kim’s work in her Solidarity Over Empathy 2021 Instagram post (Click for their post).
• Ji-Youn had credited Dr. Travis Heath’s on his video on Radicalizing Psychotherapy but it looks like it has been taken down but I still wanted to acknowledge his contribution. 
• Robin D. G. Kelley’s 2020 interview/article on “Solidarity Is Not a Market Exchange” (click here to read).
• Therapists owe Marginalized Clients More than Empathy published by Asparagus Magazine in 2022 where Ji-Youn Kim and Travis Heath were interviewed by Sun Woo Baik (click here to read).
• Vikki Reynolds (click here for many of her writings).
• Dr Gávi Ansara and the group he facilitates called: Power, oppression, and privilege-focused space! (POPS!): An anti-oppressive peer development group (click here to find out more).

I think the cliche that’s being taught to student-therapists is to provide empathy over sympathy/pity with a Brené Brown’s video (this is the one I’m talking about). I was subjected to it when I did my undergraduate degree in social work 10 years ago, and I saw it again recently(ish) when I taught counselling subjects at a private college. 

I think it’s a great resource but it is a product of it’s time ELEVEN  YEARS (11!) ago. 11 years ago it was revolutionary but it’s 2025 now. We’ve built on top of it, evolved from it, moved on. 

Empathy is simply not enough anymore. We know better and can do better. 

We need to be in solidarity and act in solidarity with people we work with. What does this actually mean?

I believe being in solidarity is a practice, a mindset and a state of being. 

It means we don’t have to identify with someone to care about causes that impact them. It means we take effort and behaviours to disrupt and contribute to the collective liberation of our communities. It means not simply taking clients’ money and profiting off their distress, but making efforts to change the systems that harm such as Colonialism, Capitalism, Patriarchy, Ableism, Heteronormativity, Mononormativity, and many other -isms.

Just by working in private practice, I am benefiting from the privilege and power of the “professionalisation” and “commercialisation” of care as part of the medical industrial complex. Captialism and colonialisation has removed community and isolated individuals, so they are experience understandable distress that is treated by “therapy” and “professionals” instead of healing with care from mutual aid, community, and feelings of belonging. 

I think my role as a “therapist” and “professional” is a necessary evil and serves a purpose so I try to do the best I can in the systems I live and work in, and work on collective liberation and building community at the same time towards the ideal of having communities of care that can replace the need for therapists one day. 

The day to day things I do to be in solidarity:

• I practice anti-perfectionism. I always try my best and lean in, invite feedback on what I can do differently/better, and do better when I know better. 
• I invite people into accountability and repair when they say or do something harmful (especially in spaces I share with other “professionals” like when they use outdated language that harms a marginalised group)
• I challenge “evidence-based” therapies – what is the evidence, who is being studies, what are the causes of distress, who and what is being centered here, where does the power sit, is it oppressive of any particular identity or experiences?
• I don’t need to identify with other people’s experiences to care and want to support them. I will offer to work with someone even if their experience is not one of my own, and being transparent of my positionality so they can make an informed consent decision to opt-in or opt-out of working with me. 
• Practice anti-capitalism, anti-hustle culture and anti-pressure approach to my business. No time-limited discounts or sales. I put it in your hands, practice radical transparency about my processes (the how/why/who/what). I focus on providing options and empowering people to make informed choices. If there are limitations I will be open about it and explain why it’s there. 
• I name with people when their distress is from the toxic individualisation of the neoliberal culture and normalise that they are not the problem, the system is broken and they were meant to exist in connection and community. I work with people to try build community as part of therapy. 
• Recognise the power and privilege I have as someone who financially profits off the effects of the medical industrial complex, and make sure I don’t take advantage of the people who see me for therapy/healing. Keep reflecting to do the least amount of harm possible while working private practice and make reparations (Pay The Rent).
• Question everything about the dominant cultural norms and practices – why why why why? 
• Have solidarity and equity rates for any training I run as a way towards economic justice.
• I’m trying to scope out interest and possibility of a co-operative for therapy and therapy-adjacent work. This is unpaid work that is a very long term timeline for the future and is currently a big question mark about what will eventuate. 
• I am would love to hear from others about what they do to be in solidarity and their ethics or if you want to chat about this you’re welcome post a comment below or email me at sydneyinclusivecounselling@gmail.com