It was very intimidating When I began searching for a suitable therapist within my university. I desired to find a therapist of color, but therapists of color were limited. Reasonably, they happened to be in higher demand in the college community, and they had never-ending waitlists, leaving me with the last picks of therapists.

“Cultural competence is an enduring, lifelong, continuous process that begins with a commitment to practicing cultural humility and is cultivated through ongoing self-reflection, increasing cultural awareness; and progressive development and demonstration of cross-cultural communication skills.” – Sandra C Bibb. I grew up in a conventional, religious, and conservative Nigerian household where mental health was unheard of and counseling/therapy was taboo. Suffering in silence, waiting for a miracle to fall in our laps, and having our fingers crossed was our remedy. However, as I began to grow older, I slowly realized that it was not only my family and my culture that suffered this fate, but countless mates within my middle-class, black and brown community lacked an outlet to express their emotions in a healthy manner. There is an overwhelming reluctance within black and brown communities to seek a therapist’s help or contact social services. Many have been conditioned from a young age to “shake” off feelings of anxiety and depression because they are told that nobody will ever be able to understand them or relate to their experiences anyway. Additionally, many believe seeking help alludes to spiritual or moral weakness, a crippling mindset that exacerbates people’s issues. However, before discussing the result of these mindsets, we must address the issue’s root.

Throughout magazines, movies and TV scenes/skits, therapists who are not of color are often highlighted as head service providers. Further, those who are seeking help are usually highlighted as people who are not of color. This lack of representation has led black and brown communities to believe that mental health isn’t an issue that is adequately addressed by our community.

Though I was matched initially with a therapist knowledgeable of the DSM, back to front, I never clicked with her. After discontinuing services, I tried again and specifically asked within my intake form to be matched with a therapist of color due to comfort. Upon completing my intake, I was informed that my request was denied without cause, and I was paired with their choice of a therapist. Once again, though my therapist was intelligent and caring at the time, I did not feel comfortable mentioning certain race-specific issues that I encountered. Even when giving her a chance, by discussing discrimination at my last place of work, she was unable to practice cultural humility, and her cultural awareness was low. She instead implied that my own paranoia, “biases,” and beliefs were manifesting in my workplace, which was far from the truth. Furthermore, after those encounters, I tried twice more with two other therapists and had equally unfulfilling and lackluster experiences until I found my current therapist. To those searching for a culturally sensitive/competent therapist, I would advise individuals to “therapist-shop.” At the beginning of my journey of finding a therapist, I struggled to advocate for myself. I was reluctant to be open with therapists by letting them know we were not initially clicking. I didn’t realize that, in the same way that a therapist’s time is valuable, so was mine. I was worthy of having a therapist that I didn’t feel that I had to perform for or conceal saddening encounters. Therefore, I would strongly encourage those searching for a culturally sensitive therapist to advocate for themselves. Also, be willing to interview and do adequate research. It is important to find out if your prospective therapist has any formal knowledge of your cultural group and, if not if they are at least willing to learn. It is also advisable to learn about their understanding of “cultural sensitivity” and “cultural competence.” It would be advisable to look into websites geared towards culturally competent therapists.

I was blessed to find my therapist through an organization called “Therapy for Black Girls.” I initially applied for a scholarship for free therapy and began looking into culturally sensitive Christian therapists. Though my current therapist is not of the same cultural background specifically, her ability and willingness to step out of her comfort zone, support, encourage, uplift, actively listen, and not assume helps our therapeutic relationship. Further, working as a school-based clinician has opened my eyes to the importance of culturally sensitive care. Past clients have constantly told me that they hadn’t had the privilege in the past of being paired with a clinician of color, but they felt more comfortable, supported, and accepted being my client. In the near future, I hope that more clinicians of color are recognized and highlighted in therapeutic spaces and that those not of color receive proper training about the importance of cultural awareness and sensitivity to increase the quality of care.

Clementina Jose is a recent LMSW graduate from the Hunter Silberman School of Social Work. Clementina has a deep passion for catering to underserved populations and showing that it is possible to be a success story in the midst of strife due to her own experiences.