It might seem strange for my first blog post as a therapist to be about the Black Lives Matter protests. But the world doesn’t end at the therapy room door. These issues enter the room, whether it’s a client talking about their experience of racism, or a client talking about their difficulties navigating race as a white person. Sometimes it’s in the room because I myself am trying to deal with, and understand, the pain that people of colour experience every day. As a therapist I need to be willing to explore these difficult conversations because to do otherwise is to do a disservice to my clients, to myself and to the wider community.

When I sat down to write something about this, I had two impulses. My first impulse, as a white man, was the urge to explain that I’m not like all those ‘other’ white guys. I’m one of the good ones. But not being actively racist, isn’t something to celebrate, it’s a pretty low bar and it just isn’t enough. People are dying, here in the UK, in the US and across the world. The murders of people of colour by people in power continue and no one is being bought to justice. Not being racist is just not enough.