A Rationale for an Anti-Racist Entry Point to Anti-Oppressive Social Work in Mental Health Services

Abstract

Anti-oppressive social work must address equity and social justice issues across a wide range of social difference. Practitioners and theorists often struggle to negotiate the multiple forms of oppression that operate simultaneously in a given practice context. This paper attempts to engage with that challenge by building a rationale for anti-oppressive action in the mental health care system to be focused on anti-racist change. It demonstrates that an achievable goal for social work is to be able to articulate and substantiate claims that systemic oppression affects service delivery, and has particular consequences for specific populations.