Therapy For People Of Color

Is It Difficult For You To Access Culturally Competent Mental Healthcare?

Are you Black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC) and in search of a culturally sensitive and effective therapist? Have symptoms of anxiety or depression—such as hopelessness, worry, and fear—negatively impacted your life? Or are you struggling to adjust to a big transition?

Perhaps you’ve experienced a sudden shift in your day-to-day routine, whether that’s due to new developments in your work, relationship changes, or a sudden flux of your everyday circumstances. Maybe you have recently endured one or many losses that have caused you to feel a heavy burden of grief.

It may be that depression and anxiety have followed you for much of your life. Perhaps you find it hard to concentrate or feel motivated, or maybe you often feel restless, fearful, and agitated. There may even be an instance of unresolved trauma from your past that has caused you to feel hypervigilant or unsafe.

Alternatively, you may be in a relationship that’s struggling. You and your significant other may often argue or experience breakdowns in communication. If this is the case, the stress generated in your relationship has likely infiltrated other areas of your life, further exacerbating symptoms of anxiety, depression, or distress.

As people of color, we are also subjected to more systemic bias and trauma. And despite the struggles we experience with our mental and emotional health, it can be difficult to feel seen and heard by clinicians or therapists who fail to understand our perspective.

In therapy at Pandora’s Awakening, people of color can feel confident that they are receiving effective support and guidance from culturally sensitive and knowledgeable providers.

The Field Of Therapy Has Historically Discounted The BIPOC Experience

Though the field of psychology has become more diverse over time, it was estimated as of 2013 that only about 16 percent of mental health professionals came from racially or ethnically diverse backgrounds¹. That’s hardly proportionate to the nearly 40 percent of Americans who identify as non-white².

Unfortunately, this lack of representation in the field contributes to the mental health challenges experienced by the BIPOC population and mirrors the lack of representation we observe in other parts of society. Because individuals of color are often mis- or under-represented in the media, for instance, racial bias, race-related trauma, and stereotypes are further perpetuated.

Moreover, White supremacy runs rampant throughout our medical and education systems. As a result, individuals of color often do not receive culturally competent and effective healthcare—including mental health support—and we end up being harmed by the systems intended to protect and heal our pain.

As humans, all of us face hardships and challenges. Whether we are struggling to meet the cultural, educational, or religious expectations of our families or experiencing individual symptoms of anxiety, depression, or unresolved trauma, we deserve to receive culturally competent care and support. And within the BIPOC community in particular, we continue to be surrounded by a collective grief fomented by the continued violence and oppression demonstrated toward us.

With a BIPOC therapist, however, you can explore both the communal and individual mental health struggles that are creating obstacles in your daily life.

Therapy For People Of Color Honors Your Unique Identity And Experience

No matter your circumstances, it can be difficult to find a safe, confidential atmosphere that is yours—and yours alone—to explore your experiences and emotions. Yet therapy for POC is designed to provide you with a space in which you can feel secure to become emotionally vulnerable as you’re supported by a clinician who is tailoring the therapeutic experience to meet your needs.

After a free, 15-minute consultation during which you can learn more about what therapy for people of color entails and how we can help, you’ll be matched with a counselor who will then initiate the intake process. This process typically lasts about three sessions and lays the foundation for what you will explore and target in therapy. Throughout these first sessions, your therapist will generally gather information about your history, presenting problems, and goals for BIPOC therapy.

As your therapist gets to know you better, they will be able to customize your treatment to target symptoms of anxiety, depression, or unresolved trauma and help you to build specific skills for coping. You will learn how to be more proactive and preventative in your daily life so that you can tolerate stress and manage emotions more effectively. And you’ll also be given an opportunity to understand more about the patterns that are ultimately leading to destructive behaviors.

The vast majority of our therapists are trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which gently targets trauma, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is highly effective for resolving distorted thinking and behaviors. And for couples in particular, we may utilize the IMAGO, Bader’s Couple’s Institute, Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT), and the demonstrated Gottman Method to help POC resolve communication and intimacy issues in their partnerships.

In addition, your therapist may encourage techniques for grounding, such as mindfulness and deep breathing to promote relaxation. With the skills you gain in therapy for people of color, you will be better prepared to cope with distress and communicate more effectively. And, over time, you’re likely to see symptoms of anxiety and depression dramatically decrease.

Our clinicians at Pandora’s Awakening are solution-oriented and draw from a number of approaches to treat the mental health issues often experienced by the BIPOC population. As therapists of color, we can help you to create a new and refreshed lens with which to address your daily stressors. We understand your traumas and frustrations on a fundamental level and can thus offer lasting and tailored solutions.

By participating in therapy for people of color at Pandora’s Awakening, you are giving yourself an opportunity to become unapologetically authentic—and we look forward to supporting your healing and transformation.

Perhaps you’re considering therapy for people of color, but you have some concerns…

I’m concerned about the cost of BIPOC therapy.

We aim to make therapy accessible and affordable for all people—especially our clients of color. Therefore, we offer quite a few options to offset costs. Our interns, for instance, are able to offer counseling at a reduced rate. And part of the intake process is ensuring that your financial limitations will be honored. In addition, we do take the majority of insurance plans. Please contact us to learn more about if the cost of therapy will be covered by your provider.

I’m worried that the information I share in therapy won’t be kept private.

Our goal as therapists is to make sure that you feel secure in and trusting of the therapeutic process. Thus, we would never share any of your personal information without your permission. We are a HIPAA-compliant practice, meaning that all of what you share during sessions will be kept in confidence.

As a POC, I have had bad experiences in therapy in the past.

We are therapists of color and, as such, understand that the field of psychology has historically been unaccommodating to the BIPOC community. Yet all of us are expertly trained and have years of experience providing culturally competent care. We recognize that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all treatment, no matter if you are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, or relationship setbacks. Therefore, we tailor therapy sessions for people of color to meet the needs of each individual.

If, at any time, you feel as though you are not getting adequate care, we encourage you to reach out and tell us what we can do to make you feel better supported. We are happy to pair you with another Pandora’s Awakening clinician who is better suited to meet your needs or refer you through our vast network of therapists for POC to find effective support.

Feel Empowered To Be Wholeheartedly YOU

If you identify as BIPOC and are in need of mental health support, the therapists at Pandora’s Awakening specialize in therapy for people of color. To schedule a free, 15-minute consultation, please fill out this form and we will be in touch.

¹https://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/13-demographics/index

²https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219

The Elephant in the Room: Racism in the Therapy Space

There is an elephant in the room. It is big, it is smelly, it is old, and it doesn’t seem to want to go away. Money won’t move it. Ignoring it doesn’t change it. Some choose to dress it with niceties to make it appear more tolerable, but its harm still remains. This elephant takes many shapes, making it hard for some to recognize when it’s right in your way. It can be subtle, overt, passive, abrupt, implicit, covert, and even micro. Until we are able to address the elephant in all its forms directly by name, it will continue to fester and transform, creating havoc in all spaces, even in those as esteemed as the therapy space. Its name is racism, and some would say it is as old as humanity. It is the foundational economic structure for the United States and many other parts of the world. Although structures such as American slavery and Jim Crow laws are no longer in existence, the residual impact and trauma of oppressing racial groups for the benefit of economic gain are still in full effect. Racism is sprinkled in every social and economic system in America. Although many would like to believe otherwise, the mental health system is not immune or excused from its embedded harm. People of color have a lot of mistrust of the mental health system, and this mistrust is not without cause. Black Americans, specifically, are often misdiagnosed, exploited, and criminalized for mental health issues in comparison to their White counterparts. A history of barriers for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to access networks, trainings, and education to become mental health providers is evident. Micro and macro-aggressions based in colorblindness and political correctness have created atmospheres for both professionals and clients from minority groups to feel disenfranchised by the same systems created to see the person as a whole — and see that they heal. According to the American Psychological Association (2020), BIPOC psychologists represent only 17 percent of all psychologists (Latinx representing 7 percent; Asian, 4 percent; Black, 3 percent; and Other, 2 percent). Psychotherapy has been a broken system for minority groups. The premise being to help people find peace and security. However, the concept of peace and security is often framed from the perspective of racism and those holding power; teaching people who do not fit within mainstream standards to assimilate within systems designed to penalize and oppress them. Many in our field, including industry associations like the APA, see that the mainstream guidelines of those holding power need an active and rigorous overhaul. Our work as therapists is to look beyond the surface of objectivity, but how can we truly see a person if we don’t acknowledge the systems already in place that objectify and prevent a Black, Indigenous, or person of color from being seen fully as a person? We have to begin to fully acknowledge and name the elephant in the room. We have to acknowledge the depths of pain racism inflicts — not only to those directly targeted, but on humanity as a whole. We have to accept that no matter how much work we do or knowledge we provide in this area, racism is still in the room. As providers who are partnering in someone’s journey to create peace and security, we have to embrace cultural humility. Regardless of what we may know based on education or experience, we always have room to grow. We all have biases. The therapy room and the therapist are not excluded from the harms of racism, and we all have to do our part to repair the trauma inflicted on Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. If you are a therapist reading this, I ask you to really reflect on the following questions (BIPOC clinicians are not excluded from these reflections): How many Black, Indigenous, and other people of color clinicians do you work alongside, staff cases with, or refer to? How do you view your Black and Brown counterparts? Do you pay for supervision or obtain training from Black and Brown professionals? If you have clinicians that you work with, how do you choose which cases you refer their way or which trainings you attend? Are most of your referrals or trainings by people of color based on race and/or diversity and inclusion? How many people of color do you see on your caseload? Specifically, how many Black and Brown people do you have on your caseload? Is it proportionate with the greater population or only the population that you identify with? How welcoming are your marketing materials to people of color? How often do you hold the seat as a minority in the room? How often do you receive services from a provider of color? How are you creating access to those with barriers both clients and clinicians of color? Question yourself: are you accessible? Are you competent and aware? Are you willing to learn and be a continuous student? As we do this work of moving the elephant out of our therapeutic space, remember to give yourself and those around you room to make mistakes. Allow for vulnerability and transparency that challenge you and the people around you to grow. Ask for help. Pay for education to become more culturally aware. Put yourself in situations where you might be uncomfortable. We may not have control over the damage of racism’s legacy, but we do have the power to call racism by its name and do the work to create more healing versus harm in the therapy room.
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