In America, the South Asian community is a culturally diverse group that, unfortunately, often goes without the benefit of therapeutic care. Stastistically it has been found that only 15% of South Asian individuals seek therapy or acquire any mental health services. This exists depsite South Asian individuals being highly susceptible to mental health issues.
Culturally responsive therapy should be a mandate for all therapists working with South Asians in America or any other POC or BIPOC individuals. Cultural factors greatly influence the impact of diasporic stress on mental health and shape our perception of who we are, what we believe, and how we respond to challenges. This blog highlights why culturally responsive therapy is important for South Asians in America, and how seeing a therapist from a similar cultural background can be helpful.
The cultural and linguistic similarities in the therpaueitc space can provide an atmosphere for understanding and mutual empathy that is harder to find elsewhere. South Asian therapists who are aware of the cultural norms, family hierarchies and societal pressures can aid their clients’ struggle against stigmas attached to talking about mental health issues and inter-generational conflicts and challenges of identity within family expectations.
Our therapists who are POC, have often described feeling minsunderstood in their own therapy journeys. Often being asked to overexplain a cultural phenomenon, experiencing the pathologization of cultural norms and practices and more.
There is a shared place to stand ground on and a cultural understanding that starts to dismantle barriers. It can also help clients to feel more noticed and truly seen. These start with the basics, such as trust and rapport: for many South Asians, sharing anything personal with a therapist, especially relating to family affairs, elicits concerns of being seen as culturally peculiar, as well as transgressing the code of privacy. All the more reason why a culturally competent therapist can help navigate this through sensitivity and respect, so that his or her clients can freely share their stories and engage in meaningful and effective therapeutic work.
Despite these advantages, there are several barriers to pursuing therapy for South Asians, such as having no awareness of mental health services, a scarcity of culturally competent therapists, financial and logistical constraints, as well as societal stigma and false perceptions of not needing the help because "it's not that bad". With commitment and effort, it is possible to overcome these obstacles. This will require increasing the pipeline of culturally responsive therapists and changing community beliefs and attitudes about the value and utility of mental health care.
The cultural mismatch between cultural values and mental health needs is an inextricable barrier that many South Asians seeking therapy are faced with in America. Any form of culturally responsive therapy can help reduce the distance travelled between one’s cultural values and acceptance of mental health treatment.
Additionally, through matching with a therapist with a similar identity, South Asians can move further along the path towards recovery by experiencing a level of empathy and support that might otherwise never have surfaced. As mental health professionals, we must overcome the historical and current barriers which deny this vibrant, diverse and resilient community access to culturally competent mental health care. At Boundless, we have a team of south asian therapists who lead with humility and will make every effort to understand your nuanced and intersectional identity. Boundless is currently accepting clients and enthusiastically invites you to schedule a 15-minute complimentary consultation with one of our team members.
Therapist Spotlight Monesha Chari
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