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By Reflecting on Justice

Is this you?

Therapists pursuing collective liberation, together.

You’ve committed to justice-oriented practice, but it’s just so isolating.

When you’re sitting in front of a client holding up the weight of systemic oppression, you know that therapy-as-usual, just isn’t an option.

You know your commitment to justice-oriented practice means interrupting the damaging and unjust ways we relate to one another. You want to commit to accountability in a world that would much rather have us pretend to be perfect. You want to confront the most misaligned parts of ourselves to find our way back to something bigger than us.

You’re in it, we see you, and you are not alone.

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“Everything worthwhile is done with other people.”

– Mariame Kaba

Reflecting on Justice was made for you if you want your life + practice to be grounded in anti-oppression, if you feel isolated in justice-doing, and if you want to be part of a community that just gets it.

Justice-oriented freebies

Start here with your Free resources

laptop with the reflecting on justice the essentials checklist for anti-oppressive therapy practice

The Essentials Checklist →

This 9-page checklist helps you assess your knowledge, develop sustainable ways of unlearning, define relational considerations, and live your ethics in practice.

laptop and phone with the reflecting on justice radicalizing your practice 101 free five day challenge for anti-oppressive therapy practice

Radicalizing Your Practice 101 →

This 5-day challenge kickstarts your transformation towards justice-oriented practice. Get mini video lessons and exclusive audio voice notes for further reflection.

laptop with the reflecting on justice justice unpacked workshop for anti-oppressive therapy practice

Justice Unpacked Webinar →

This 2-hr workshop covers 3 instantly integratable techniques for systems-aware conversations in your sessions, AND how to resist the top 5 mistakes that trip us up in justice-oriented practice.

By Donation offerings

Support mutual aid Initiatives

By Donation

phone with the reflecting on justice an expose on hope audio reflection guide for anti-oppressive therapy practice

Get access to a 4-part audio reflection guide to support you when liberatory practice feels hopeless AND our bonus audio series: Mapping Yourself to Collective Liberation that supports you in navigating the most common barriers of this work.

By Donation

tablet with the reflecting on justice anti-capitalism, not a planner planner, live your ethics planner for anti-oppressive therapy practice

Get access to a beautifully designed 40-page planner specifically curated to help you document your collectively liberating action + plan for your growth in liberatory practice through engaging prompts and inspiring quotes.

Lower Cost

laptop with the reflecting on justice practicing justice workshop for anti-oppressive therapy practice

Uncover biases you didn’t know you had with this tried+true questioning sequence that leverages your life experience to build a scaffolding knowledge of how systems of oppression play out.

Deep Dive with

comprehensive training programs & Community

001

Learn to navigate the most common roadblocks to justice-doing with other therapists. This half self-study, half live workshop connects you with your communities of resistance.

002

Access a comprehensive and nuanced masters-level training program that helps you root your personal understanding and therapy practice in transformative, justice-oriented practice.

003

Let’s co-create the spaces to live the imagination of justice, right here, right now. Access rich perspectives on justice-oriented discourse, build relationships with fellow practitioners and engage in generative conversations on liberatory practice.

Therapy is never enough

Our redistribution Mission

Reflecting on Justice occupies the unceded, traditional, and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Qayqayt, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples. Part of our commitment to disrupting the colonial project we benefit from and the duty inherent in our relationship with these lands is to redistribute 50% of proceeds from the living practice membership to Indigenous organizing efforts, independent anti-oppression educators, + mutual aid efforts.

ROJ projects offered by donation contributes 100% of the proceeds towards mutual aid efforts in our communities so our unlearning immediately gives back. As our community grows, the percentage of redistribution will also grow.

Your tuition for the Justice Fundamentals program goes towards supporting lower cost counselling services in so-called BC.

Feedback & Testimonials

Thoughts from your community

Ricky T.

This was hands down my favourite...

This was hands down my favourite course. It was the safest, most honest, brutal-yet-compassionate social justice environment I’ve ever experienced, and was a place for challenging discomfort as growth as well as the emotional support needed for that discomfort.

Sacha M.

I am incredibly inspired by the...

This is the kind of wide ranging justice-oriented learning that I wish I had access to in graduate school, during my time as a student or a professor. Excited for all those who take part in the programs, for all the clients who will benefit from encountering more competent and just practitioners, and for our field to benefit collectively from the unique offerings to the practice of justice seeking therapy.

Sophie H.

Not only is the Justice Fundamentals training...

Not only is the Justice Fundamentals training helpful in my work with clients, they have also been healing for me as well. The discussions and learning materials help give me and my clients so much language to describe our experiences, and help point us onto a path towards holistic healing.

Esther J.

The videos are so helpful, especially...

The videos are so helpful, especially when you talk through examples – it feels fresher in my mind and inspires  me to start thinking about different ways to have my practice grounded in justice.

Will L.

I'm so excited that I'm...

I’m so excited that I’m part of this community and see what comes of it. Everything you’ve put out has been so compassionately thought provoking and ACTIONABLE. I’ve already started talking to clients about it and have printed  them some of your newsletters.

Eri N.

Thank you for your...

Thank you for your encouragement and support. Your passion for social justice is a source of inspiration and contribution to my growth in this profession.

Melanie K.

To see it all put together like this is...

To see it all put together like this is a different experience. There’s so much more to know than I thought. It’s complicated but you make it clear and thought-provoking.

Cassandra C.

I love that it always comes back to...

I love that it always comes back to action. People just talk about understanding too much. It’s time we do something about it and this tells us what we can do about it.

Janelle S.

I always have the framework...

I always have the framework and the checklist on my phone. I use it to make sure justice is part of my day. I think it makes a big difference to have it set up like that.

Elspeth

I'm loving all the ROj content...

I’m loving all the ROJ content – it’s so beneficial to follow along, take the trainings and listen to the podcast. Appreciate you both dedicating so much time to this project and I’m pumped to be in the community.

Michelle C.

I learned so much from...

I learned so much from this course and I am excited to continue learning and growing beyond the classroom. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and supporting us all in our journeys of becoming socially responsible counsellors. I feel lucky to be part of a community with instructors that care as much as you do.

Welcome, Friend!

Together doesn't have to wait.

abby chow is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Abby Chow, MA, RCC-ACS

bhupie dulay rcc acs, clinical supervisor for bipoc counselling

Bhupie Dulay, MA, RCC-ACS

Linda Lin MA RCC reflecting on justice

Linda Lin, MCP:AT, RCC

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

ROJ sparked from a series of wouldn’t-it-be-greats. From friends to students, to colleagues to comrades, Abby just kept hearing again and again how great it would be to have a community of therapists all trying to do the work of unlearning together - to have a community that can hold each other in radically loving accountability, all the while recognizing the impact and responsibilities we have as therapists.

And at some point, I just thought - “Okay, well, I can do this! I should do this!”

WHEN ABBY MET LINDA - Through our co-envisioning, ROJ started to take shape. Linda came up with our name, got us started with socials and visuals and we were off gathering the amazing practitioners that became our members. What was supposed to be a one time summit-like event, turned into a long term commitment to community through our collective excitement.

WHEN ABBY MET BHUPIE - From the very beginning we had gotten so much feedback about wanting a structured and comprehensive training program, but it just felt so weird to do it on my own. We are all about community, after all. So when Bhupie and I connected through teaching in academic clinical graduate programs, Justice Fundamentals finally became possible.

At the end of the day, ROJ is here to build community, to be your solidarity besties in the work of unlearning systemic oppression in and out of our therapy rooms. To do that we’ve built membership programs, comprehensive and transformative curriculums, and free resource guides to support your work.

As bell hooks says, “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”

Prospect and Reflecting on Justice started as a partnership to deliver the Justice Fundamentals program and the Resisting Collusion workshop. As we continue to expand our collaboration through annual summits and shared ethics, it made sense to us to combine our efforts into one initiative to support our communities. We hope this becomes a nuanced and rounded approach to the impact we hope to have on collective healing.

Reflecting on Justice occupies the unceded, traditional, and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), S'ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Qayqayt, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples. Part of our commitment to disrupting the colonial project we benefit from and the duty inherent in our relationship with these lands is to redistribute 50% of proceeds from the living practice membership to Indigenous organizing efforts, independent anti-oppression educators, + mutual aid efforts.

ROJ projects offered by donation contributes 100% of the proceeds towards mutual aid efforts in our communities so our unlearning immediately gives back. As our community grows, the percentage of redistribution will also grow.

Your tuition for the Justice Fundamentals program goes towards supporting lower cost counselling services in so-called BC.

While our counselling services are currently focused on supporting BIPOC communities, all of Reflecting on Justice's offerings are open to folx of all positionalities. 

With the exception of the living practice membership (facilitated by Abby & Linda), Justice Fundamentals, Resisting Collusion Workshop, and Justice Unpacked Webinar (facilitated by Abby & Bhupie), all ROJ content is created or facilitated by Abby. 

abby chow is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Abby Chow (she/her) is a cisqueer, working-turned-middle class, half-gen, currently non-disabled, straight-sized settler on the stolen, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Qayqayt, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples. She is from Hong Kong and lives with chronic pain and ADHD. 

For the last decade, she’s had the privilege of working with folx resisting multiple systems of oppression, which often manifests as being impacted by the criminal punishment system, addictions, and relational trauma. Her work now primarily revolves around providing clinical supervision and business consulting services from a justice-grounded perspective.

Above all else she loves being an explorer of wonder and possibilities, witnessing and co-creating with the magic that still manages to survive this dumpster fire world, and aspiring to be a human database and connective force for our revolutionary resistance. Her ancestors come from roots in Chaozhou and Nanjing, and a lineage of creating sneaky practices to survive necropolitics, poverty, and refugeeism. 

bhupie dulay rcc acs, clinical supervisor for bipoc counselling

Bhupie Dulay (she/her) is a settler who was born and raised on the stolen unceded, ancestral territories of the Semiahmoo, sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), Kwantlen, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Qayqayt, and sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsawwassen) Nations; and her ancestors are from India. Bhupie is a cis, non-disabled, middle class, small fat woman.

Currently, Bhupie works as a therapist, supervisor, professor, and consultant. Her work is informed by social justice and collaborative principles. She is honoured to work alongside people who are navigating and resisting multiple systems of oppression individually, within relationships, and in communities. As a clinical supervisor, Bhupie supports teams providing health care services and counselling services, practicing counsellors and student counsellors. Supervision is an enriching experience for Bhupie—a space where she can engage in a collaborative dialogue about best practices and ethics alongside the critique and feedback.

Bhupie also provides workshops, trainings, and consultations to organisations, teams, and boards. She is an adjunct faculty at Adler University and City University, and an instructor at Vancouver Community College. And she is a board member at Healing in Colour.

Linda Lin MA RCC reflecting on justice

I’m a cis-gendered, able-bodied, hetero-ish racialized settler, born and raised in so-called Vancouver. I’m a child of first-generation immigrants from the Nakhi/Naxi ancestry of China and my pronouns are She/Her.

Getting into justice and liberation work has been like an itch that continues to grow. The more I unlearn the harmful narratives and approaches that I once had me chained, the more questions of curiosity and wonder I come up with. Why do things have to be this way? Who has the authority to say this about my identity and my experiences?

I am continuously coming up with creative ways to reclaim power back, to be in reciprocity with other folks, and to intervene, using my voice to advocate for marginalized folks, collaborating and helping them figure out what this work can look like for themselves.

xu wang is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Xu Wang (they/them) is a non-binary, queer, 1.5 generation Chinese-Canadian immigrant settler who live, work, and benefit from taking up space on the unceded traditional territories of hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh peoples (colonially known as Burnaby.). They are also neurodivergent, mentally ill, and a parent to a pre-schooler.

As an art maker, they enjoy all things creative. Some of their favorite interests include caring for plants and animals, painting, collaging, cooking, and immersing themself in the alternate realities of video games. Many of their healing experiences were inspired by meaningful relationships with others and in communities of care. In these supportive spaces, they are able to reclaim parts of themself and nourish their growth by embracing every aspect of their humanity.

They see working as a therapist and being a human being as inseparable processes. More than their educational and training backgrounds, they draw from their lived experiences and inner knowing to support those who share space with me. They have found deep healing in the practice of embracing “enoughness”. 

theresa thomas is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Theresa Thomas (she/her) is an educator, counsellor, mentor, and creator originally from so-called Texas. For 7 years post-graduate Theresa worked on the front lines with local non-profits to provide accessible and quality therapeutics for those with barriers to support. Theresa is committed to helping people achieve freedom from systemic and societal oppression in every capacity, addressing the distresses that come from navigating shame, marginalization, discrimination, disassociation, and self-worth.

Theresa is passionate about developing personal power and helping individuals and relationships live authentically and thrive in their truths. In 2020, she started her own therapeutic practice, In-Power Counselling & Services, which continues the work she’s done in healing and empowerment. Theresa is also a clinical supervisor for new and developing therapists. Theresa’s hope is to make mental health, daily health!

When she’s not working Theresa is a learner in every sense of the word. She loves to read and consume content and information. She is a sister, a friend, a daughter, a cat aunt, a writer, crafter, painter, and creator.

Sacha Medine is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Sacha Médiné’s (he/him) therapeutic practice and activism focuses on supporting individuals and people in relationships who are part of communities subject to structural violence (including but not limited to BIPOCs, Queer, trans & gender nonconforming folks), people involved in social justice movements & direct action activism, and folks working on being accountable for doing harm in ways that are connected to, or involve participation in, systems of structural oppression (eg. gendered violence & white supremacy). He also provides clinical supervision to counsellors and other practitioners and have been a member of the teaching staff at City University since 2017.

He draws on knowledge and perspectives from feminist, queer, and critical race theory as well from social movements and activism. He truly values the wisdom and knowledge from outside the academy that students bring with them to the program and strive to create a space where it can be recognized, acknowledged, and integrated into clinical practice. Ultimately, he believes that teaching in a counselling program involves an ethical obligation to clients. More specifically, a requirement to participate in the creation of a field that not only more fully reflects the faces of its clients, but seeks first to be in care of, and led by, the communities in our society most marginalized and subject to structural violence. He attempts, in whatever ways he can, to always orient my teaching to respond to this requirement.

 

Premala Matthen is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Premala (Lala) Matten (she/her) is queer and cis, a brown woman and a settler, chronically ill/disabled and middle class. Some of her people are Indian and others are white. Her understanding of power, privilege, and oppression is shaped by the range of her positions in the world.


Lala’s experiences of violence and oppression led her to seek change, for herself and others. She is a therapist in independent practice, and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Healing in Colour, a non-profit that supports BIPOC both to access and to offer healing services. She is also the co-creator of SEEN, a podcast that explores personal healing and collective liberation work through the eyes of Black and brown queer women. Her work sits at the intersection of counselling and activism, firmly rooted in the radical possibilities of QTBIPOC spiritual and emotional healing.

Website

luisa ospina is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Luisa Ospina (she/they) is a non-disabled, queer, white Latinx of mixed ethnic and racial ancestry, now-middle-class, immigrant, settler, woman, offering trauma counselling, facilitation, and consulting services on the stolen, ancestral, and traditional territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. They were born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, and spent a long time living and learning in the ‘United States’ after immigrating.

Luisa values accountability, transparency, and compassion in all aspects of her life. Currently, they work as a Clinical Counsellor, Consultant, and Clinical Supervisor in independent practice. Luisa uses an integration of various trauma-informed, relational, and client-centred approaches that are situated in intersectional feminist, anti-oppressive and social justice principles. They are dedicated to supporting equity-deserving folks with experiences of oppression in their process towards healing and liberation. Luisa actively works towards anti-oppression and anti-racism personally and professionally. Luisa’s analysis and approaches have been heavily influenced by Black and Indigenous feminists, and queer and critical race theories. In the past, they have worked as an educator in post-secondary education and community settings. In addition to their work, Luisa is currently a board member with Healing in Colour. Outside of their work, Luisa enjoys spending time in the sun, dancing, connecting with her community via sharing food, and playing volleyball.

Kim Haxton is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Kim Haxton (Potowatomi) (Kwe wii she) is from the Wasauksing First Nation in Ontario. She has worked across Turtle Island and abroad in various capacities but always with a focus on local leadership.

Her deep understanding of the need for genuine restoration has far-reaching implications as leaders seek vision and all people seek direction to address the mounting pressure of a system incongruous with the values of the natural world. Kim has developed and facilitated programs in land-based education, ceremonies, and leadership for the past 30 years, including as co-founder of Indigeneyez.

She takes her place among thought leaders in the area of decolonization, particularly as it applies to language, art, economics, and gender. She encourages the “lateral liberation” of consciousness by drawing from the embodied knowledge of Indigenous peoples. In multi-day workshops, she moves people through a personal process of questioning what is the truth and what is simply constructed – effectively rupturing what we “know.” True expression of respect, harmony, inclusion, equity can come from this place.

ji-youn kim is a community trainer for anti-oppressive counselling in vancouver

Ji-Youn Kim (they/she) is a queer, currently non-disabled Corean femme, immigrant and settler, joy-seeker, liberatory dreamer, psych survivor, justice-oriented therapist-ish and ongoing creation of community. Born in Bucheon, Corea, they grew up and continue to live on the unceded territories of Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations in what is colonially known as Vancouver, Canada, which shapes their relationships with land, kinship, sovereignty and co-resistance.

Ji-Youn works in private/alternative practice in relationships with predominantly Sick & Disabled QTBIPOC client community members with the orientation of therapy-ish as a space to practice embodied liberatory practices in the spirit of collective liberation. In recent years, she has also been teaching about abolitionist mental health care, the mental health industrial complex and the blurring of the categorization of therapy. Their practices are informed by Black & Indigenous feminist scholars, Disability Justice & Transformative Justice educators, abolitionists and organizers, as well as their lived experienced of mental illness/Madness and psychiatric incarceration.

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