Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Change will take time. We commit to beginning.
We pledge
Psychoanalysis, as a discipline, is devoted to understanding individuals, groups, and organizations, including unconscious factors that influence these systems. Just as psychoanalysis has the potential to free an individual from conflicts and prejudices, it also has much to contribute to our task of making our own organization more diverse, inclusive, and equitable. This includes the need to engage in rigorous study of systemic varieties of “othering” or “isms,” as a contribution to attaining greater psychic freedom for all.
At the WBCP our avowed support of diverse perspectives and our appreciation for the value of diversity in our membership and in those we serve (colleagues, patients, students, organizations) has not translated into effective action. In recent years, we have reckoned with not having achieved sufficient diversity. These shortcomings have included areas of racial identity, ethnic identity, gender identity, sexual identity, socio-economic status, and able-bodiedness. We have failed more in some of these areas than others, and we are committed to examining all aspects of diversity.
We acknowledge that unrecognized influences on our perspective have arisen from our history as a mostly White, Eurocentric, cis-gendered, economically advantaged organization. We are committed to redressing failures of the past through furthering our own education and sensitivities to issues of diversity. We aim to create a welcoming atmosphere that is open to discussion and change, one that approaches the past with non-defensiveness, accepting responsibility, and committing to improvement. We aim to grow without getting mired in blame and recrimination.
WE PLEDGE to build an increasingly diverse organization at all levels.
WE PLEDGE to be an Institute and Center that commits to examining conscious and unconscious barriers to changing systemic racism, sexism, and other prejudices within our organization.
WE PLEDGE to create a culture that values curiosity about diversity in all its forms: in the clinical situation, in the classroom, and in our discussions with colleagues.
Change will take time. We have begun the process. We commit to hold ourselves accountable to seeing it through.
Click here to read WBCP’s Commitment to Anti-Racism Statement from June 2020.