Diversity


People who experience lack of acceptance, marginalization, and discrimination can have reservations about seeking help for their emotional issues.  One common concern is the worry that “my culture will not be understood” therefore I will not feel comfortable talking with a psychologist.  Another frequently expressed fear is that experiences of alienation from the dominant culture will be minimized or pathologized.  In addition, people may have received messages like “don’t talk about such things outside the family” or “therapy is not for us.”  All of these issues may prevent people from reaching out to a psychologist.  I believe that a multicultural approach to psychotherapy is sensitive to the ways in which social, political and economic issues influence our well being.

Although a multicultural approach has been central to my clinical training, it is my life experiences that have shaped my commitment to diversity.  Understanding marginalization, alienation from the dominant culture, family conflicts involving clashing cultural values and feeling trapped between two worlds are all experiences that have been part of my own struggles and maturation.  As a psychologist, these experiences sensitize me to the multiple ways in which issues such as race, class and sexual orientation are ever present and can influence our psychological development. I integrate these issues into my psychotherapeutic approach.
  

Please explore the section About Me to learn more about my training.