Publications and Research
Document Type
Other
Publication Date
2021
Abstract
In this Letter to the Editor, Billies (2021) responds to critical and supportive opinion pieces in the British Gestalt Journal (BGJ) following their plenary presentation at BGJ’s 2018 annual seminar (see Asherson Bartram, 2019; O’Malley, 2019). As author of the companion article "How/ Can Gestalt Therapy Promote Liberation from Anti-Black Racism?” (Billies, 2021), Billies, who identifies as white, discusses the intent at the seminar to support white people to increase accountability and reduce harm in dialogue with people of color, while supporting the work and needs of people of color on their terms from a Gestalt perspective. Describing a fishbowl exercise in which white participants discussed their experience of white privilege in front of the multiracial, predominantly white group, Billies identifies the typical defenses white people employed, while white participant self-reflection, honesty, and openness to shame and discomfort demonstrated important, while partial, anti-racism practices.
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