What It Means to Find a Culturally Relevant Therapist

When people reach out for therapy, they’re often stepping into unfamiliar territory. For many, the idea of asking for help already feels like a risk — It's scary. But when your identity, your culture, race, gender, sexuality, or lived experiences have been overlooked or misunderstood by systems of care, and broadly throughout society, in the past, the idea of being vulnerable in therapy can feel even more complex. Support should not require you to set aside aspects of your identity to receive quality care. For people from marginalized backgrounds, a culturally relevant therapist isn’t a bonus —it's essential.

Why Cultural Relevance Matters in Therapy

Culturally relevant therapy means more than working with someone who “gets it" or has a vague understanding. It means finding a provider who has done the work, both personally and professionally, to understand the ways that culture, identity, and systemic injustice shape mental health. This includes learning to adapt acquired skills for different needs and populations. It's important for providers to go beyond the classroom and experience different cultures and communities first-hand. Cultural competence is a lifelong endeavor, and the expectation isn't for a therapist to have all the answers but to be self-aware and open to learning, but that does not necessarily consist of being taught by the client. That is not their responsibility, though therapists may indirectly learn as a function of sharing the therapeutic space with you, the client.

For many clients, especially those who hold intersecting marginalized identities, therapy becomes a space to unpack the ways trauma, exclusion, and resilience have shaped their lives. But this can only happen when the therapist is aware of how these dynamics play out, not just in the world but within the therapy room. If you’ve ever left a session feeling unseen or like you had to educate your therapist just to feel heard, you’re not alone. Therapy works best when you feel emotionally safe, understood, and supported as your full self, not just the parts that fit into someone else's framework.

How to Go about Your Search

There’s no perfect formula for finding the right therapist. But there are ways to increase the likelihood of finding someone who understands your needs, both clinically and culturally.

Consider Accessibility and Practical Needs

Start by narrowing down practical considerations like location, licensure, availability, and cost. Therapists may work in person, online, or offer hybrid options. Many are licensed only in specific states, so make sure you’re looking at providers who can legally work with you. If you’re using insurance, you can search through your provider directory. If you’re paying out of pocket, some therapists offer sliding scale rates or will provide superbills for potential reimbursement. Try to find someone whose financial structure won’t create additional stress in your life.

Look for Lived and Learned Cultural Insight

Cultural competence isn’t a one-time training. It’s an ongoing and evolving process. A culturally competent therapist should understand how power, oppression, and privilege function in society and relationships, and that includes the therapeutic relationship.

You might look for therapists who:

• Name their cultural, religious, and clinical values on their website or social media.

• Express commitment to anti-racism, LGBTQ+ affirmation, disability justice, or decolonizing therapy.

• Have experience working with people who share aspects of your identity or experience, and that may not always be a therapist who shares a community with you. Still, it's okay for that to be important.

Remember, lived experiences can be powerful, but they're not always going to be present or available. A therapist doesn't need to share your exact background to work well with you, but they do need to approach your experience with respect, humility, and curiosity.

Ask Questions Before You Commit

Many therapists offer free phone consultations or initial meetings to help assess fit, but one should inquire about what fees are involved and whether insurance covers certain services. Not all services will be complimentary as we consider the climate and how this is that professional's livelihood. Regardless, use that time to ask direct questions about their cultural awareness and clinical approach. Here are a few questions you might consider:

• How do you explore the effects of systemic oppression?

• How do you see topics such as race, identity, religion, and culture affecting therapy?

• Have you worked with others who share or have similar backgrounds or identities?

• What is your approach when you and your client come from different cultural backgrounds?

These questions, while important, are also layered and nuanced, so there is no universal answer. Here, you're assessing intentionality, effort, and dynamics that become apparent as you explore these topics.

Trust Your Gut About Relational Fit

You can find someone whose resume is flawless and still not feel at ease with them. Therapy is relational work. It relies on trust, emotional safety, shared understanding, and the space to develop that understanding. If you feel dismissed, misunderstood, or emotionally distant in session, it’s okay to explore other options. Sometimes, it takes meeting more than one therapist before finding the right fit. That isn’t failure. Good therapy meets you where you are. It doesn’t ask you to shrink or translate your experience to be palatable.

Something to consider if ever you do find yourself feeling misunderstood or uncomfortable: Check in with yourself and see what you notice. What is making you feel that way? Depending on what you notice, it may be resolvable by having a conversation with your therapist. This may include sharing your feelings, which can be very difficult, especially with someone new, or asking for something you need.

The Deeper Work of Healing

Therapy isn’t just about learning skills or managing symptoms. At its best, it’s a space to explore who you are, how you’ve come to be, and who you’re becoming. For many people of color, queer folks, and others with marginalized identities, that exploration is deeply entwined with cultural, generational, and systemic narratives. Healing isn’t about leaving your culture at the door. It’s about honoring it, understanding its complexities, and finding your place within or beyond it. A culturally relevant therapist creates room for that process, not by speaking for you but by walking with you as you find your voice. Because these elements are a part of our experience, we cannot divest from them as they inform that experience.

Support That Sees You

Deciding to seek therapy isn’t easy. While it might appear simple from the outside, the reality is far more complex and often genuinely challenging. Cultural, religious, and systemic barriers can complicate the choice. We’ve tried to communicate the importance of asking questions, practicing self-advocacy, and seeking a therapeutic experience that feels most appropriate for you. If nothing else, let this resonate: your lived experiences matter and deserve care, consideration, patience, and compassion. For that to be possible, therapists must continue learning, growing, and remaining open to perspectives beyond their own lived experience.

Therapy is not meant to be easy, and it should challenge you — but never in a way that compromises your safety — emotional or physical. It should encourage growth, open you to new perspectives, and help you examine deeply held beliefs that may no longer serve you, all while expanding your emotional resources so you can thrive despite life’s challenges. Part of this process means acknowledging the unique obstacles you may face as someone with intersecting identities, and ensuring the space you step into is one where you are truly seen.