This is especially true if you need to start seeing someone pretty urgently, like for persistent panic attacks or severe disordered eating behaviors. Sometimes looking for what may, unfortunately, be a unicorn of a therapist who specializes in what you need and also aligns with your identity may be less important than finding one who is culturally competent and able to help you as soon as possible.
Seeing a therapist with a different culture or background
Khalisa Rae, an author and editor for an African American multimedia company, first began going to therapy 10 years ago when she was in undergrad in Wilmington, North Carolina. “I was able to find some really good people, and, ironically, they were white,” Rae, who has seen several different clinicians, tells SELF. “When I talk to them about Black girl stuff, they listen. They’re open and sincere.”
For Rae, this was clear when her white women therapists would “almost finish my sentence with what I was going to say when I unloaded my frustrations about microaggressions or othering,” she explains. “They would chime in and I would say, ‘Exactly!’” Her therapists also used inclusive language and avoided stereotypes, which signaled to Rae that they had training, worked with diverse clients, and were up to date on the current climate of how to handle varied and nuanced cultural backgrounds.
Rae’s experience is what culturally competent therapy looks like in practice. “For me, as a clinician, I’m going to really focus on your experience, and I’m going to continue outside of the session to educate myself whenever I have a new patient or a patient that’s bringing up something that I’m unfamiliar with,” Dr. Cathers says. “Because if they’re having to educate me, then it’s about me.”
For Monica Johnson, Psy.D., a Black clinical psychologist and founder of Kind Mind Psychology in New York City, this kind of education looks like taking formal cultural trainings offered by professional organizations, such as the New York State Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, and PESI, a continuing education provider. “As a psychologist, there’s a certain number of continuing education [credits] you have to get to maintain your license. But more often than not, it’s not a requirement that any of those C.E.s be related to cultural diversity,” Dr. Johnson tells SELF. This year, she’s focusing on trainings about treating transgender and gender-nonbinary people.
How to find a culturally competent therapist
Normally, the first step in advice for finding a therapist is: If you have insurance, reach out to your insurance provider directly and ask for a list of in-network therapists who are taking new patients. And that can be a good place to start. But when you’re specifically looking for someone who is at the very least culturally competent, the more information you have about what they’re actually like—instead of simply a list of names and contact information—the better.
So, consider seeking solid recommendations through trusted friends, family members, or mentors. “Word of mouth is very helpful,” Dr. Clark says. And definitely make use of the many online therapist-finder databases out there, especially those that specifically center the experiences of various marginalized groups. Even if you don’t find someone who is, say, the same race as you, inclusion and/or participation in these kinds of databases can (but doesn’t always) signal that these therapists prioritize cultural sensitivity.