“I salute the light within your eyes where the whole Universe dwells. For when you are at that center within you and I am at that place within me, we shall be one.”
Crazy Horse
You are a cultural being with many intersecting identities of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, socioeconomic status, geographic location, national origin, language, immigration status, etc. You come from a specific historical, cultural, and family background that has brought you to this point in your life and shaped who you are. To miss this part of your story is to miss a large portion of who you are. A multicultural therapist seeks to understand your struggles and strengths within your unique cultural context and to provide therapy that is tailored to your whole person.
Research has shown that having a trusting and supportive relationship with your therapist is a big part of what makes therapy work. Therefore, it is important to find a therapist who can understand your identity and lived experiences to establish safety and trust.
Many clients prefer to work with a therapist who share some of their identities because the shared cultural background can create a sense of familiarity, understanding, and safety. Although having shared identities between you and your therapist is important, research has also shown that working with a therapist who has a high level of multicultural humility and responsiveness, no matter their identity, is crucial to a positive outcome in therapy. You are more likely to connect well and get better faster working with a therapist who has the training and expertise to understand how culture plays a role in your mental health.
Here at Thrive for the People, we are committed to creating a healthy and supportive environment where all staff and clients are treated with dignity and respect and where diversity, equity, and inclusion are the norm. We pride ourselves on finding a good match between client and therapist because we know that the relationship is so important. We will only recommend one of our therapists if we truly believe they are a good match for your needs and can help. If you are looking for a multiculturally sensitive and anti-oppression therapist, contact us today to learn more about multicultural counseling. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if one of our multiculturally-affirming therapists is the right fit for you.
You deserve to work with a therapist with whom you feel seen, accepted and understood of all your identities, experiences, and cultural background. All therapists at Thrive for the People receive ongoing multicultural and social justice training and we use a multicultural and anti-oppression approach to our work with every client. As multiculturally-affirming therapists, we value understanding you as a whole person within a complex and interdependent context of history, society, community, family, and relationships. We understand that mental health counseling is not one-size-fits-all and that people from diverse and marginalized groups have unique mental health symptoms, stigma, and challenges to overcome due to the systems of oppression. We know that mental illness impacts people differently depending on their identities and cultural views of mental health. We value a deep understanding of your identities, experiences, and cultures. If you chose to work with one of our multiculturally-affirming therapists, we will take the time to step into your world and accurately understand your pain from your perspective.
Many mental health professionals have basic training on cultural diversity. As a group of multicultural therapists with in-depth training, relevant research, as well as lived experiences, we can offer a deeper exploration of how your cultural identities are connected with your daily life and mental health.
We will look at the cultural and historical barriers to mental health. We will honor the coping strategies that may have helped you, your family, and your community to survive. You and your therapist will talk about your similar and different identities and how power exists within the relationship. We will create a safe space for difficult conversations about inequality, oppression, marginalization, colonization, and injustice. We will assess whether the treatment plan fits with your understanding of the problem, your cultural background, and your expectations.
Multicultural counseling can be especially helpful with the following issues:
Here at Thrive for the People, we recognize that there are individual, systemic, structural, institutional, and historical forms of oppression existing in our individual and collective contexts. We are committed to constantly and systematically preventing, addressing, and combating bias and oppression that is operating within ourselves, our relationships, our organization, and our spheres of influence. We acknowledge that the development of multicultural knowledge, awareness, and skills is a never-ending process of learning, unlearning, self-reflection, courageous conversations, feedback, mistakes, compassion, and empowerment. We are committed to continuously identify our limitations and gaps. We value and support social justice and anti-oppression advocacy and activism in our organization and in society.
We follow the American Psychological Association’s Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity, and Intersectionality.
We encourage and welcome feedback and suggestions for deepening our knowledge, awareness, and skills around diversity and multiculturalism. Anyone’s willingness to contribute to our growth in this area and provide feedback and accountability will be received as an act of generosity.
Whether you are looking to explore and understand your identity or to process the impact of bias, discrimination, and oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, colorism, classism, etc.) counseling with a multiculturally-affirming therapist can help. It can make all the difference to have a therapist who understands your intersecting identities from an anti-oppression lens. If you are looking for a compassionate multicultural counselor, please contact our psychotherapy clinic today. We can answer any questions you have about the process and provide you with all the information you need to make an informed decision. We will begin by getting to know each other in a free 15-minute phone consultation and see how we can work together to create a culturally relevant treatment plan.
Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we are a good fit.
5306 Ballard Ave NW, Suite 212,
Seattle, WA
Phone: 206-403-1148
Fax: 206-800-1091
Email: contact@thriveforthepeople.com