A Critique of Coordinated Management of Meaning and Circularity in Relation to Countering Oppressive Practice: Reflections from a Trainee Therapist

This is a personal reflective piece based on my clinical and personal experience in the current environment, which can feel at times oppressive. I situate my critique as an early-career psychologist who holds multiple marginalised identities. Using systemic ideas, particularly coordinated management of meaning, circularity, and reflective teams, I use case examples to illustrate how practitioners can deconstruct power and resist dominant narratives, countering oppressive practice in action. I critique the existing systemic literature in relation to anti-oppressive work and offer suggestions for future research and practice such as holding an anti-oppressive lens and understanding power and difference within the reflecting team.