24/07/2025
allowed us to share their information slides for Disability Awareness Month, a time in July to recognize the diverse experiences of people with disabilities and to promote inclusion, accessibility, and respect. Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and barriers - not bodies or minds - are often what limit people. By listening, learning, and advocating for equity in education, employment, healthcare, and public spaces, we take real steps toward building a more inclusive world where everyone can thrive.
How Therapists Can Be More Inclusive
1. Educate yourself continuously.
Stay informed about systemic oppression, intersectionality, neurodiversity, disability justice, and cultural humility. Inclusion begins with self-awareness and a willingness to challenge your own assumptions.
2. Use inclusive language.
Avoid ableist, gendered, or pathologizing language. Mirror the client’s own terms for their identity, relationships, and experiences.
3. Make your practice physically and emotionally accessible.
Ensure your office (or telehealth setup) is usable for clients with mobility, sensory, or cognitive differences. Ask about accommodations upfront - don’t wait for someone to struggle.
4. Honor intersectionality.
Recognize how race, gender identity, socioeconomic status, disability, sexuality, and other identities overlap. Understand that no client’s experience exists in a vacuum.
5. Invite feedback.
Let clients know you are open to being corrected. Inclusion is not about being perfect. It’s about being responsive and committed to doing better.
6. Reflect on power dynamics.
Use your role intentionally. Empower clients by sharing choices, avoiding assumptions, and co-creating goals and strategies.
7. Diversify your resources.
Include books, visuals, and examples in therapy that reflect varied cultures, family structures, and lived experiences, not just the dominant narrative.
The Houston Psychological Association will now be using alt text for each post going forward. Thanks for the tips, !
