Culturally Sensitive Therapy

I work with clients in a collaborative relationship to identify goals for therapy and treatment or growth plan. Together, we will identify what will be helpful, to explore how you relate to yourself (your thoughts, feelings, body, identity), the context within which you live, and how the heck to manage the societal structures we have to navigate. As a therapist I aim to practice with cultural humility, and will educate myself on topics important to you.

I acknowledge and respect the diverse backgrounds, traditions, beliefs and value systems of my clients. I engage with self-awareness to notice how my own background influences my personal practice. I do not impose my beliefs on my clients, rather I honor differences and embrace the unique identities that my clients carry in the world. I recognize that systemic oppression can impact identity, mental health, and access to resources. I am committed to ongoing learning and feedback.

We have a diverse staff with different backgrounds that help understand your unique experiences based on the intersectionality of your identities.

While not assuming what might feel relevant to you, I actively create space in conversations with clients to discuss how your identities (including cultural, racial, religious, gender, and sexual orientation) may connect with your experiences, worldview, strengths, or challenges. When people meet with me for therapy, I know their lives and experiences do not exist in a vacuum. Context matters, and diferent forms of oppression can all impact mental health.

I believe that understanding how sociocultural, systemic, and institutional forces influence the ways that you traverse this world. Examining such contexts can facilitate the harnessing of your internal wisdom as well as become more connected to your collective and ancestral experiences.

Sociocultural and identity factors (gender, race, sexuality, etc. ) shape how we experience the world and how the world interacts with us. My training emphasizes the importance of understanding how these factors impact our mental health.

Ensuring I provide culturally sensitive therapy is central in all of my work with clients. I prioritize making accommodations for my client's lifestyle and culture in my therapeutic services. I am dedicated to learning about each individual's background and belief system, rather than relying on assumptions. By creating a safe and inclusive space for clients of all identities to explore their thoughts and feelings, I aim to achieve more effective and meaningful therapeutic outcomes.

Culturally Sensitive Therapy with Liberation Psychology values your cultural heritage and experiences, recognizing the impact of systemic oppression. This approach is anti-racist and promotes collective liberation, ensuring therapy is a space where your identity is honored. We work together to challenge oppressive structures, valuing your unique background without imposing White supremacy or White cultural norms. I support your healing and growth while fostering empowerment and resilience.

I do not know everything about your culture, and I will not act as if I do. I will take time to get to know you and how your culture impacts your desire to make changes.

A culturally sensitive therapist is one who is intentionally and mindfully curious about all ways of being human and all ways of healing. For the therapist, this takes work and deep listening, a willingness to be moved, disturbed, and humbled. Cultural sensitivity is understanding that there are experiences and feelings that you can never fully know or understand because you will never experience these things yourself (humility). It means staying vigilant for signs of implicit bias within.

Much of my graduate school training was in cross-cultural psychology, including understanding how culture is important in helping clients who struggle with various mental health problems. I use a cultural lens to view each of my clients and consider how culture has shaped them over time.

Culturally sensitive therapy is an approach to psychotherapy that takes the client’s cultural background into consideration12. This can include any cultural element, including ethnicity, race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation2. The approach emphasizes the therapist's understanding of a client’s background and belief system as it relates to their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or other important elements that make up someone’s culture.

Our clinic prides itself on uplifting clients who come from under-served communities. We respect the intersectionality inherent in all of us and treat the whole client in context. In addition, we mindfully employ clinicians from multiple gender, cultural, and disability backgrounds.

Alison is a native New Yorker and believes understanding a client’s background and belief system is paramount for optimal treatment as it relates to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or other important elements of culture and/or identity.

As a Black gay male therapist, I feel I understand people's needs who come from diverse cultural backgrounds. As a person who endeavors to be culturally humble, I encourage exploration in the areas of Age, Developmental disabilities, Indigenous heritage, National origin, Racial identity, Ethnic identity, Gender, Socioeconomic Status, and sexual orientation.

Each person on staff receives training in this area multiple times a year. Culture sensitivity is also part of our mission.

I believe that we all see the world through our own cultural lens. Being allowed to learn about a client's world and belief systems is a truly humbling experience. With my experience as a former diversity coordinator coupled with being aware of the various cultural stipulations that exist in society allows me to provide you with the necessary and relevant interventions that would not only be respectful to your beliefs but also catered towards the system we are a part of.

I am a woman of color, who is open and available to speak about racial injustice and disparity in the United States and globally. I am a 3rd generation (Mexican) American-Latinx

I practice from a lens of cultural humility. This means that I take responsibility to self-reflect and increase my understanding of all aspects of my clients' identity. I center myself in a supportive role and never claim to be an expert in anyone's life and instead honor the customs that may already be established as natural resources to build upon.

I think this is a key foundation to any therapy.