How to Find a Good Therapist as a Person of Color

Therapy should be a safe space where you feel understood and respected by your therapist. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, particularly for U.S. racial and ethnic minority clients. Like so many fields, psychology has been slow to decolonize and not all therapists are culturally sensitive. This can be frustrating at the least, and at the worst, traumatizing or re-traumatizing for clients who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). Indeed, BIPOC clients are less likely to seek out therapy and are more likely to drop out of treatment early as compared to white clients (Owen, Imel, Adelson & Rodolfa, 2012).

However, BIPOC clients deserve and can have rewarding and healing experiences in therapy. 

Here are a few tips to help prospective BIPOC clients find culturally-informed and effective treatment:

1. Ask Questions.

While therapists have particular training and expertise when it comes to mental health, this does not necessarily mean that they are well-versed in issues of race and racism. One way to gauge their understanding of these issues is to ask questions. This is especially true about any prospective therapist’s own views on white supremacy and race and racism (including the difference between overt racism and more covert racism, such as microaggressions), as well as how they understand the role of oppression and systemic racism and inequality in conceptualizations of trauma and mental health.  It may be important to you to have a sense of the work that your therapist  has done to educate themself on privilege and race. Monnica T. Williams Ph.D., has put together a great list on her Psychology Today blog on 10 questions that all culturally competent therapists should be able to answer, which is a great place to start.

2. Give it a bit of time (if you can), but don’t be afraid to seek out a new therapist.

Like many important relationships in life, the relationship between therapist and client needs to be a good fit. In fact, research has shown that the therapeutic relationship is the greatest indicator of successful treatment outcome, regardless of the modality of treatment (Krupnick et al., 2006). This doesn’t mean that you will or need to feel comfortable from the first session, but rather, that ideally you will develop a good level of trust with your therapist over time. This takes work, and most therapists will encourage you to be open with them about how you feel in your sessions and about your relationship with them, which is not always easy to do. However, many BIPOC clients find themselves invalidated by white therapists, subject to microaggressions, or having to educate their therapists on race and privilege. This is not only exhausting, but it can also lead clients to feel unsafe or burdened in their own treatment. If you don’t feel understood or, more importantly, safe in your treatment, don’t be afraid to seek out a different therapist. The fit is important, and you deserve good treatment. (Note, it’s important to distinguish between feeling safe and feeling comfortable. As a great supervisor once told me, therapy is supposed to be safe, but not necessarily comfortable—looking at oneself is difficult work).

Over on Twitter, Dr. Kameelah Rashad has a great thread on “fit” for BIPOC clients.

3. Keep in mind your therapist may not understand you just because they share identities with you. 

It can be tempting to assume that a therapist with the same identities as you will totally “get” your experience and be able to provide culturally sensitive treatment. However, this isn’t necessarily true and, of course, every individual has a different relationship with race, ethnicity, and identity. Your therapist, regardless of their identities, should make an effort to understand your specific lived experience and to treat you with respect and empathy.

Here at Therapists of New York, we are committed to providing culturally sensitive and informed treatment to clients from all different backgrounds. Click here to make an appointment. 

A version of this post was also published at Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hyphenated/202007/3-tips-finding-culturally-competent-therapist