Being a First Generation of Immigrant parents, I remember struggling to understand the complexity of my identity and the intersectionalities that it encompasses such as gender roles, culture, and how I do relationships. I think about my work with diverse populations over the years, and the ongoing conversations we have around the different identities clients hold and how they show up in their lives and how they behave within relationships. I help clients gain a better sense of themselves by practicing self-awareness, compassion and grace through their learning of the different identities they hold and how to navigate those.
With this type of work and being culturally responsive, my clients are able to explore their different identities as we bring them into the therapeutic space. More often than not, my clients have received messages of “not being enough” and that becomes their narrative that they hold onto. In our clinical work, I help clients shift away from that.
Doing this type of self-work can be challenging and overwhelming in not knowing where to start. My goal is to help clients through their journey of self, using a therapist-led approach. I believe being authentic and culturally competent are vital in establishing a strong therapist-client relationship which contributes to client’s successes.