Blog 1: Book Recommendation. Decolonizing Therapy by Jennifer Mullan, PsyD

Decolonizing Therapy by Jennifer Mullan is a paradigm shift in the world of psychotherapy. Drawing both personal and historical perspectives, Mullan presents a strong case for integrating decolonial theory into the field of psychotherapy. This book is a must-read for any psychotherapist willing to confront themselves and their work with this form of societal critique.

There are key differences in the way you may read this book depending on whether you are a person of the global majority, or if you are white and from colonial origin. Based on your perspective, this book may be eye-opening, informative and challenging – or affirmative and empowering. Or perhaps something completely different.

Given the spectrum of ways in which we relate to the concept of (de)colonisation, different things may come up when reading this book. We recommend to read this book with caution, openness, and – if possible – a book club with people who share similar lived experiences, open to profound and respectful dialogue.

The book is split into three parts: (1) The roots – where it began, (2) The trunk – where we are, and (3) The leaves – growing a decolonial future. Each part is then subdivided into chapters, each including different sources of decolonial thought, reflections on critical points of the ways in which psychotherapy replicates colonial structures, as well as stories, reflections, alternatives, and critical questions to ask oneself.

As with most paradigm shifts, they are never isolated perspectives, an illuminated “download” of wisdom. A lot of the ideas that this book represents are already alive and present in many ways of working therapeutically. One point of criticism that can be found on this book is that the forms of colonised therapy that it addresses are those present in the context of the United States of America, as well as bigger institutions of mental health. There is little to no mention of other forms of therapeutic approaches that already exist that work in system-critical manners that already provide a platform for decolonised approaches of therapy to thrive. Regardless, even in these alternative forms, a decolonial push is still very much needed.

One thing you cannot expect from this book is for it to decolonise your practice. It is not a step-by-step guide on how to make your therapy decolonial, nor a roadmap of how to do that. This book will not grow a forest for you, but it will provide the seeds. It is up to you to be critical of your own practice, to re-indigenise, to decolonise and deconstruct forms of oppression that may be replicated in your work.

Decolonizing Therapy was published by Jennifer Mullan in 2023 and is available in most book stores.

Article by Felipe Santos, 2025.