Implicit Bias

"Don't judge a book by its cover." We have all heard this. Whether it's consciously or unconsciously, sometimes we just can't help it. I honestly judge very quickly, I have an opinion about someone I've never met before they can even say "hi". What I believe makes this ok, is that I know everyone has as story and I try my best to give them an opportunity to show me who they are. Implicit bias is basically your unconscious judgement of a person. You don't know the first thing about them and yet you have already formed an opinion about this stranger. Judging hair, skin color, clothing, walking stance, posture, facial expression. Truth be told, they did the same to you.

This is something to be conscious of as a practitioner because you don't want your quick judgement to change how you deliver treatment. That's not fair to your client and it does not reflect well on you. You do not know what their struggles are, you don't know what kind of day they are having. Why should any of this change your treatment. Everyone deserves top notch therapy session no matter what. Think I'm wrong? Emergency room employees have to treat gun shot wounds endlessly, they do not know anything about the unconscious patient they have on the table... What if that was your best friend that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time involved in a drive by? You wouldn't want that surgeon to assume your best friend; a father of 2, faithful husband, loyal employee, dog lover, fellow hockey lover; was involved in something sketchy and maybe not put forth their best possible effort. A little extreme for example? Yeah you're right. But you get my point.

So how can you be aware of and improve your implicit bias? Well to start, I think it's important to know you have bias, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are a ton of surveys online that you can take to see where your bias lies. As a healthcare profession, you could take classes that point this out and have discussions about it. Get out of your comfort zone. Be open minded and have an open ear to those you encounter, put yourself in their shoes and be aware of how your actions might make someone else feel.