I Remain as an Act of Resilience and Resistance: Balancing Community Obligation and Self Preservation

Our article is testimonios from the perspective of three Black, female MFTs. We explore various results of the intersecting pandemics that we have ourselves experienced and continue to navigate. A recurring narrative that has been amplified during this time is that therapy and therapists should not be political and human. Not only is there an expectation that clinicians should not express or maintain a political stance, but we are also expected to hold space for clients to express their discriminatory or marginalizing views. This notion reflects the repeated pattern of clinicians showing up for clients regardless of any personal turmoil. Clinicians are expected to intentionally consider the context of intersecting pandemics on the populations we serve and give grace to students we teach, yet the same context is disregarded when considering the clinician's wellbeing and expectations regarding productivity. We see this habit manifest in academia as well and it contributes to an internal disconnect and lack of work/life balance. Overall, we have found that clinicians impacted by the ongoing pandemics are unable to find time to reflect on and process what is happening. Our article features our experiences, the lessons we have learned as a result of continuing to survive, and how we intend to use our agency, autonomy, and voices to create change for ourselves and our communities. We hope that readers develop a better understanding of how to recognize and respect the humanity of mental health clinicians.