Diversity Statement

SCS is committed to the promotion and affirmation of diversity in its broadest sense. Our mission requires that people of every background be able to use our services with an expectation of respectful treatment. The professional ethics and standards of the various mental health disciplines represented at the service place a high value on the dignity and worth of individuals. We recognize that prejudice and discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, race, sexual\affectional orientation, age, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic class have traditionally affected mental health practice. Consequently, as part of our service and training mission, we require of ourselves a commitment to work toward the recognition and elimination of such prejudice and discrimination as it is detrimental to the practice of psychotherapy, supervision, training, consultation, developmental programming, and research, and to the development of effective colleagueship among staff members. Therefore, as part of their professional functioning, all staff members (i.e. staff, trainees, and administrative support staff) are expected to respect the dignity and worth of the individual, and to strive for the preservation and protection of fundamental human rights.

A major goal of our agency is to maintain an atmosphere of openness and trust in which we feel free to explore and discuss our attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors in relation to others who are similar to and different from ourselves. As we strive to educate ourselves and others about the mental health issues of a pluralistic society, we recognize that an examination of personal prejudice and discrimination and their impact on our professional work is best accomplished within a climate of safety and respect. Therefore, staff members are expected to support each other as they explore their individual prejudices. As an agency, we both attend to and work to eliminate biases, prejudices, and discriminatory practices. We also recognize that the promotion of diversity has an inherent tendency toward clashes in values and perspectives. Thus, continual examination and discussion of such conflicts are crucial for their effective resolution.

While we recognize that discrimination and prejudice is hurtful and damaging to the mental health of all individuals, we also acknowledge that in certain time periods societal pressures can create unusually oppressive conditions for certain groups. Presently, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals are accorded less protection under the law and consequently may be oppressed in ways that go beyond other forms of discrimination. We affirm the right of staff members and clients to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender orientation. Although granted legal protection, differentially abled individuals continue to have difficulty gaining access to information and services assured by the law. As an agency, we recognize the adaptive techniques that are used by these individuals and we strive to promote equity for staff and clients who are differentially abled. We are aware that institutional sexism and racism are currently being promoted by sexist and racist ideologies and we find the presentation of these ideas damaging to men and women and people of color. We work toward the end of all forms of institutional sexism and racism. We also are sensitive to current extremes of religious persecution and the resulting trauma. We acknowledge the right of staff members and clients to affirm a personal set of religious beliefs while they embrace tolerance of others' divergent beliefs. As an agency, we recognize the need to make all of these issues high priorities in our work to ensure basic human rights for all people.

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