Language is power: anti-oppressive, conscious language in art therapy practice

Abstract

Language not only expresses but shapes how we understand the world, each other, and ourselves. Words serve a key role in maintaining cultural norms and values regarding which experiences and identities are considered valuable, normal, and powerful and which are considered abnormal, pathological, and even nonhuman. As such, there is no objective, least-offensive, neutral language that does not perpetuate the status quo. This article contributes a critical discussion of the power of words to harm in the context of art therapy, and offers helpful examples of how art therapists can disrupt oppression in language. The authors clarify that anti-oppressive, conscious language is not about censorship, language policing, or being politically correct; rather, it is about centering care and avoiding harm. Strategies are offered for recognizing how dehumanizing, invisibilizing, and pathologizing language may show up in art therapy, and how to counter oppressive language in day-to-day practice. With greater attention to how they use words, art therapists may begin to incorporate conscious language into their skillset as another art form that is attentive to culture, power, and care. Cultivating a liberatory mental model—oriented toward a future that is free from all forms of violence and where all life, all identities and experiences, and all ways of making meaning are equally honored and valued—can affect not only our language but also our entire practice and understanding of art therapy. Plain language summary: Language plays a key role in how we understand the world, each other, and ourselves. It often keeps cultural rules and norms in place by naming certain experiences and identities as ‘valuable,’ ‘normal,’ and ‘powerful’ and others as ‘abnormal,’ ‘damaged,’ and even nonhuman. Trying to speak and write objectively and not offend people is a well-intentioned goal, but doing this keeps an oppressive status quo intact and can also increase self-conscious feelings of guilt and shame. This article argues that instead of focusing on the ‘right words’ that avoid offense, conscious language focuses on care and avoiding harm. We note that much everyday language is unconscious and unquestioned. Art therapists risk causing harm when they are not aware of how they use words to talk and write about people, their practices, and the different cultures they encounter in their work. We offer examples of harmful language and effective ways to counter it in daily practice, along with the empowering idea that by bringing conscious language into their work, art therapists can consider words to be another art form and a tool for being attentive to culture, power, and care. Practices that promote a mental model based in freedom from violence and valuing all people are described as a powerful way to change not only our language but the practice of art therapy itself.