Decolonised Minds

Endorsed by Professor John McLeod, the co-founder of the Pluralistic Approach to Counselling and Psychotherapy. ‘Decolonised Minds: When Radical Becomes Rational’ offers a bold and timely framework for transforming psychotherapy, counselling, and mental health practice. At its core, this book dismantles the lingering legacy of colonialism in the therapeutic encounter, exposing how Eurocentric assumptions continue to shape the ways we understand, diagnose, and treat psychological distress. Drawing on lived experience, global case studies, and critical theory, Talha AlAli illuminates how racism, Islamophobia, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and structural inequalities infiltrate therapeutic spaces. He argues that to decolonise therapy is not simply to diversify knowledge or practice, but to unlearn and relearn the very foundations of what counts as care. Accessible and deeply grounded in scholarship, the book balances critique with practical tools. It includes worksheets, reflective inventories, and thought-provoking exercises that invite practitioners to examine their own positionality, biases, and responsibilities. AlAli challenges readers to move beyond tokenistic “cultural competence” and toward humility, solidarity, epistemic justice, and genuine accountability. ‘Decolonised Minds’ speaks to students, trainees, and seasoned practitioners alike. It offers a radical yet rational vision of psychotherapy – one rooted in belonging, connection, community, and history. By placing lived experience and ancestral wisdom alongside contemporary theory and practice, AlAli shows that decolonising therapy is not optional, but essential to ethical and effective care. Endorsed by leading voices in psychotherapy and beyond, this book is both a mirror and a roadmap: it reflects the societies in which we practise while guiding us toward a more just, humane, and liberated future.