Black History Month: Kosi Mahdi-Millot

As part of Black History Month, we spoke with our Training Coordinator, Kosi Mahdi-Millot, who is also training to become a psychotherapist:

It is no secret that psychotherapy and counselling trainings have not adequately acknowledged the experiences of black students. Historically, psychotherapy was developed for and by the white middle-classes and this has been the lens through which many training curriculums were created. In more recent years, psychotherapy trainings have attempted to address this through the inclusion of psychosocial modules. I feel fortunate that my psychotherapy training encourages open discussions on race and culture, however, I have often left these discussions feeling silenced or misunderstood – an experience that other colleagues have also faced. On top of an already rigorous training, these experiences can make the route to qualification distressing and isolating.

At one point, I contemplated whether this route was for me. It was the encouraging and confronting words from a tutor that shifted my perspective. He encouraged me to reflect on my own beliefs on who ‘gets’ to graduate and what space I feel able to take up as a Black therapist. This conversation speaks to the very theme of Black History Month – reclaiming narratives. 

For meaningful change, training courses not only need to become more accessible, but also more accepting of different racial and cultural experiences. Space needs to be made for the voices of black psychotherapists in literature and in practice. Having more Black therapists, tutors and supervisors is not only important for representation, but to reclaim the narrative of Blackness, Black history and Black cultures.

-Kosi Mahdi-Millot