What it means to have a culturally responsive therapist and why it matters
Published January 17, 2023.
Laura Newberry reflects on the need to have a therapist who understands one’s identity-based needs, which can include one’s ethnic or racial identity, gender and sexuality, and immigration status. In a world where whiteness is the standard, which the mental health field is not exempt from, culturally responsive therapists can contextualize patients from marginalized communities’ backgrounds, values, and experiences while providing care. Immigrants Rising’s Mental Health Connector, along with the Latinx Therapists Action Network and various mental health directories, was mentioned as a resource for people of color to find a culturally competent therapist.
