When Stanford's Therapists Become Activists
Stanford Review | Lucy Kross Wallace
This Stanford Review piece argues that clinicians at CAPS, Stanford’s primary counseling center, are “turning a blind eye to prejudice, promoting bigotry through DEI programs, and forgetting their obligations to be inclusive and tolerant mental health professionals…[with] a concerningly anti-scientific perspective that isn’t conducive to effective treatment for anyone” and is “nothing short of catastrophic.”
Wallace explains that “social justice” is “code for an ideology that sees every social interaction as a conflict between oppressor and oppressed…[defining everyone] based on immutable characteristics rather than seeing them as individuals and punish[ing] anyone who disagrees.” She argues that “This combination of beliefs and assumptions would be dangerous anywhere, but among mental health professionals, it’s nothing short of catastrophic.”
After recounting incidents, including accusations of anti-semitism by the center’s former director, Wallace asks an important question: “How would these CAPS and well-being professionals interact with conservative students–or anyone who isn't on board with woke social justice? What do they tell white students who are unwilling to see themselves as oppressors or black students who don't consider themselves victims?”
Through her investigation, Wallace concludes that the center “is all about inclusion, just so long as it’s reserved for those who buy into Critical Social Justice and accept their role as villain or victim… Amidst their many social justice pursuits, these clinicians appear to be neglecting the students who need them most.”
