Introduction: Racism in Brazil is the result of slavery and the construction of a Eurocentric identity, constituting a combination of prejudice and power that favors or denies access based on color or race, being a social determinant of psychological distress. Brazilian occupational therapy plays a role in social insurgencies, more recently incorporating anti-racist discussions. However, mental health care for black people remains a challenge.
Objectives: To understand how issues related to racism have been incorporated into mental health practice of Brazilian occupational therapists.
Methods: A qualitative, descriptive, participatory research was carried out with nine occupational therapists (six black, three white) who had been working for at least one year in mental health in Brazil and considered their practice anti-racist. They participated in a semi-structured qualitative online interview. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results: Two main themes emerged: 1) Recognize a) our racist upbringing and b) the effects of racism in producing violence and suffering for the black population; 2) Establish narrative, dialogic and occupation-based actions by a) listening to people's unique narratives in their history and experiences, considering racism not as a totalizing structure of that experience, b) proposing activities that value the black body, history and identity, c) establishing careful and reflective dialogues, triggered by situations in which racism operates, considering the person's racial literacy, to produce new narratives.
Conclusion: Innovating anti-racist occupational therapy practices in mental health is urgent, responding to calls to change the lives of black people with implications for social transformations.