Organizational Statement on Race

Racism is the root cause of disparities in our community.  Racism is a public health crisis. Bloomington Mental Health (BMHS) is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will continue to pursue our journey to be part of the community response to the public health crisis of racism. 

Core Values:

  • To meet the needs of the people we serve

  • To meet the needs of the communities we work in

  • To employ the highest standards of professionalism with compassion

  • To recognize the human dignity of every person

 

BMHS Believes:

  • All clients have a racial and ethnic identity and all therapists have a racial and ethnic identity

  • Acknowledgment and understanding of client social context (e.g. poverty, unemployment, inequality, and oppression) and cultural issues in the therapeutic setting is part of the therapeutic process

  • We have an obligation to address racial differences and difficulties in the therapeutic setting

  • Racial and systemic trauma cannot be ignored in a therapeutic relationship

  • There are real differences in experiences and expectancies of clients from race and ethnicities other than our own. (Monica Williams, Ph.D)

  •  We must recognize and address therapist racial, orientation, gender, and cultural issues within BMHS

  • We are committed to the ethical values of principles of our professions

 

Organizational Commitment

Hiring Policy:

BMHS is committed to:

·      Retaining therapists to provide mental health services to diverse client populations;

·      Giving clients a diversity of therapists to choose from;

·      Retaining professionals that value:

o   Sound and solid judgement

o   Professional curiosity

o   Courage

o   Honesty

o   Compassion

o   Entrepreneurship

o   A broad worldview

 

Intent

BMHS will hire therapists in order to provide choice to the clients of the organization.  BMHS will offer the services and therapists that provide the greatest likelihood of participation and achievement of the client’s goal. 

The Social Worker Code of Ethics dedicates the majority of its Ethical Standards to treatment of the client (Addendum 1).

In addition to the Code of Ethics, there is research that informs our policy.  Published in Psychiatric Times in 1998, “Therapist-Patient Race and Sex Matching: Predictors of Treatment Duration,” Joseph A. Flaherty, MD and Susan Adams, PhD write that past research has shown that black clients were more likely to drop out after initial therapy session than white clients.  However, according to Flaherty and Adams, this drop out rate can be attributed to black clients assigned to a therapist of a different race.  When assigned to a black therapist, black clients were no more likely to drop out than white clients.  We understand that racial matching is informative but not absolute.

 

Action Items

In a 2014 Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)  LPC/LPCC Workforce Questionnaire (Addendum II), 94.9% of respondents identified themselves as White/Caucasian.  Respondents could select as many races as applicable.  Additionally, the survey showed that 81% of Minnesota mental health counselors are female.  Providing the client choice that BMHS seeks will clearly require effort given the demographics of the workforce. 

BMHS will outreach to the Community to locate qualified therapists who are people of color.  This outreach will include but is not limited to Colleges offering MSW’s, trade associations, and social media groups. 

BMHS will leverage social media to locate and communicate with qualified potential hires.  This will also include those that could offer referrals for potential hires.

BMHS will continually identify, examine, and correct as necessary biases related to a candidate’s age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics that are unrelated to a person’s job performance.  This examination will be across marketing material, recruitment material, and policies and procedures.

Resources:

  • The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) released the following statement from CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., regarding recent racist incidents across the country and their impact on mental health.  The statement reads, in part:

    • “The effect of racism and racial trauma on mental health is real and cannot be ignored. The disparity in access to mental health care in communities of color cannot be ignored. The inequality and lack of cultural competency in mental health treatment cannot be ignored.”

    • NAMI.org has an extensive list of resources that address the mental health needs of people of color.  

  • Hennepin County passed a resolution declaring racism as a public health crisis (https://hennepin.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/CoverSheet.aspx?ItemID=9375&MeetingID=1020)

Resources for talking about race, racism, and racialized violence with kids: https://centerracialjustice.org/resources/resources-for-talking-about-race-racism-and-racialized-violence-with-kids/