Black Therapist & Company, LLC

Prospective Pre-Licensed Social Workers Information

Prospective pre-licensed social workers must be culturally aware and preference is for BIPOC social workers. Pre-licensed social workers must also understand the impact of social determinants of health, equity, social and racial justice on the population being served. A passion to create equity in all things related to the health and wellness of those in the community is also desired. They should share company values as it relates to centering BIPOC clients and communities and work to rectify historical injustices.

Ensuring that the population of professionals matches the population served is core to Black Therapist & Company LLC.s values and approach. Evidence in the health and education fields show that having professionals who look like those they are serving helps to build trust with clients, which strengthens the ability to form a strong relationship, which then leads to positive outcomes for the client. Toward this goal, Dr. Hemmings will partner with various community-based organization and practices to increase the social work representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

Service plans should be developed through a process of shared decision-making between the client and the clinician, practicing self-determination as a cornerstone of our culturally responsive and culturally specific services. In alignment with licensure requirement, pre-licensed clinicians are taught and supervised on how to use the DSM for diagnosing as well as the various psychological theories and approaches. However, Black Therapist & Company, LLC fosters a decolonized approach to working with BIPOC clients whereby the impact of racism, generational trauma is factored into the treatment approach and not every symptom is pathologized. We teach that diagnosing can reinforce feelings of “othering”, “marginalization”, and “defective”, in addition to being traumatizing.