The Social Injustice Crisis
 

The current sociopolitical climate in the United States continues to threaten the psychological and physical safety of People of The Global Majority (PGM) and marginalized communities who do not conform to White supremacist ideologies—a pervasive state of crisis since the inception of this nation. The terror witnessed and experienced by marginalized communities and People of the Global Majority has only been exacerbated over the past year due to the Trump administration and continues to leave impenetrable wounds that will have adverse, lasting effects on future generations.
 

The criticality of the current moment lies in the shift from a state of structural violence to one resembling authoritarian governance that terrorizes communities. The absence of clear rules or predictability within this chaos leaves many communities living in a persistent state of fear. For example, when explicitly focusing on ICE and immigration-related violence—the kidnapping and detention of civilians regardless of immigration status without due process, and the gassing of unarmed protestors—the imprints on families and communities will be long-lasting.
 

Children are in detention centers writing letters to the public, some without their parents; they are alone. Medical neglect and sexual abuse of detainees are rampant (ACLU, 2026). One recent case of medical neglect of a minor includes a 2-month-old baby, Juan Nicolás, in a San Antonio, Texas detention center. He is now being deported with the rest of his family (San Antonio Current). Another recent case involves the medical neglect of Emmanuel Damas, a 53-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who died of a tooth infection in an Arizona detention center (CBS News).
 

Individuals continue to be murdered as a result of ICE violence, including the high-profile murders of Alex Pretti and Renée Nicole Good, the tragic death of Dr. Linda Davis (WTOC), and many others within just the first two months of 2026 (The Guardian). These are the latest examples of state-sponsored violence and murder and serve as a reminder that no one is truly immune to these atrocities and social injustices. Witnessing and experiencing these horrific realities constitute the foundation for immediate and long-term psychological harm, contributing to interpersonal and community trauma, vicarious trauma, and complex trauma later in life.

Call to Action
 

Lamenting on the ongoing situation without taking action can only deepen the helplessness felt by many. Thus, this social injustice crisis offers a call to respond and lead with care, courage, and fearlessness. As Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee says, “You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.”
 

The message to counselors is that we cannot and must not remain silent. This must include a commitment to resisting injustice from counselors within majority-identity communities; these injustices affect all of us. We call on other ACA counseling divisions to use their platforms to take a clear stance against the harm being done by the current administration. Neutrality, silence, and ambivalence are dangerous and only stoke the oppression being experienced.

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Engaging Our Crisis Counseling Skills as Counselor Activists

In this unforeseen space we are living in, AMCD proposes to ground our actions in the work of those who have fought similar battles against racism, white supremacy, and ethnic cleansing before us—our ancestors. One lesson they left us with is that no one goes it alone in a crisis, and what we seed or plant today may flourish in the years ahead.

 

Several endeavors of care are proposed. These include:

1. Creating safety planning with clients, students, peers, and ourselves.

2. Finding creative ways to educate about current realities and help others release hard emotions (e.g., art therapy, poetry, spoken word, tai chi).

3. Being intentional about creating safe moments in or out of the classroom for students to share their feelings.

4. Maximizing the power of group work to create culturally affirming and counter-spaces for clients (i.e., using approaches that honor healing informed by Indigenous practices).

5. Staying present.

6. Not going it alone—finding allies and doing the work collectively and interdependently.

7. Inviting like-minded individuals and groups who may be left out so they do not feel isolated.

8. Being more intentional about including those often left at the margins—people with unique disabilities, the elderly, and the youth.

9. Applying crisis counseling skills to respond to a sense of loss and distress and provide resources for healing and safety.

10. Lobbying state representatives to ensure they understand the direct impact of these atrocities on the mental wellness of communities. These advocacy efforts can include sharing research data, meeting with legislators to address structural violence inherent in current and new policies, and resisting funding cuts targeting diverse marginalized communities.

 

Counselor Wellness

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While supporting and caring for others during these hard times, we must also recognize that counselors do not live in vacuums. We feel and experience distress, tiredness, and vicarious trauma ourselves. Our feelings may range from exhaustion, rage, depression, anxiety, and apathy to an obsession with social media—or maintaining that sense of fire that pushes us to help and intervene.

Therefore, we must create communities of care within AMCD and with our peers and colleagues in the workplace. To continue to show up with fortitude and clarity of thought, counselors must recognize their limits and seek support when needed.

 

In Solidarity,
The Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD)

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