Land Acknowledgement and Decolonizing Therapy
Intentional Living Psychotherapy is located in Kitchener, on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee Peoples.
A land acknowledgement does not undo dispossession or repair the ongoing effects of colonialism. It is one reminder that psychotherapy, health, and everyday life are shaped by history, land, relationships, and systems of power.
What decolonizing practice asks of the therapist
Western psychotherapy can centre individualism, treat one cultural worldview as universal, or overlook the effects of colonialism, racism, displacement, and systemic inequity. Ruba Chihabi is responsible for examining those assumptions in the theories she uses and in how she understands distress, relationships, and change.
In practice, this means asking rather than assuming what matters to you; considering family, community, culture, faith, migration, land, and social conditions where they are relevant; attending to power in the therapeutic relationship; and respecting consent, pacing, and choice. Cultural similarity does not guarantee understanding, and Ruba does not claim authority over an experience that is not her own.
Accountability in practice
Ongoing commitments
- Commitment 01
Ruba continues learning about local treaties, histories, and the present-day realities of Indigenous Peoples in Ontario and across Turtle Island.
- Commitment 02
She uses reflective supervision and consultation informed by anti-oppressive and anti-racist frameworks.
- Commitment 03
She reviews therapeutic language and practices for assumptions that pathologize culture, privilege dominant norms, or overlook collective and relational ways of understanding well-being.
- Commitment 04
She learns from Indigenous-led scholarship and organizations without claiming, extracting, or presenting Indigenous knowledge as her expertise.
- Commitment 05
The practice directs attention and support toward Indigenous-led organizations and initiatives locally and nationally.
- Commitment 06
Ruba remains open to feedback, acknowledges mistakes, and makes changes when practice does not align with these commitments.
An evolving responsibility
The practice treats this work as ongoing and imperfect. Decolonizing practice is not a finished credential or a statement of intent on a website; it requires continued learning, reflection, material choices, and accountability.
The practice welcomes questions, feedback, and resources at IntentionalLivingPsych@gmail.com.
Questions about this information?
Contact the practice with a general question about land acknowledgement and decolonizing practice. Please keep private health details out of an initial email.