Are You Tired Of Dealing With Prejudice In Your Daily Life?

Have you repeatedly dealt with racist incidents at school, work, or in other social settings? Are you trying to stay informed about current events related to race and social justice, but your mental health is suffering as a result? Do you feel like people who don’t share your background fail to understand what you’re going through?

Maybe your struggles with racial trauma have been minimized by other people in your life. Perhaps you worry that prejudice from others is holding you back in your professional field. Or maybe you’re frustrated because racism has affected your self-image, and you’ve doubted your ability to achieve certain goals or belong in certain spaces.

Discrimination Can Take An Emotional Toll On BIPOC

Encountering racism and grappling with this pervasive issue can leave you struggling with anxiety or depression. As much as you want to work towards positive change, being involved in activist efforts or paying attention to the news might make you feel exhausted or re-traumatized. Maybe you have even worried for your physical safety in hostile environments. 

Perhaps you come from a multicultural family or you’re in an interracial relationship, yet  the people you love don’t always understand the problems you face as a person of color. Maybe your friends or relatives have committed microaggressions or dismissed issues that are important to you.

Dealing with racism, prejudice, or even a lack of understanding from well-meaning people can have a negative impact on your mental health. But with the support of a therapist who provides counseling services for BIPOC individuals, you can cultivate self-acceptance and get comfortable taking up space no matter where you are.

Racism Is A Widespread Systemic Problem In Our Society

People from marginalized communities often struggle with the effects of racism on their mental health. Repeatedly encountering prejudice in professional, academic, or social environments can leave you questioning where you really belong. You might hesitate to go after what you truly want in life and feel like you’re constantly searching for a place where you’ll be accepted.

How Racism Can Affect Your Mental Health

Feeling isolated, misjudged, or even unsafe because of your race or ethnicity can have a dramatically negative impact on your emotional and physical wellbeing. You may have trouble trusting people because you’ve had to end friendships or relationships where you did not feel supported or understood. 

Trying to stand up for yourself in the face of discrimination is not easy. Unfortunately, some people feel uncomfortable when BIPOC bring up their experiences with racism and unjustly discourage such conversations. Therefore, many BIPOC feel like they have to brush valid emotions under the rug. But these suppressed emotions can eventually manifest as anxiety, depression, PTSD, or another mental health condition. 

Racism is a societal issue, which makes it practically impossible to deal with these obstacles as a lone individual. But for POC, taking the time to care for your mental health through counseling can be life-changing. Through therapy for BIPOC, you can learn to move through the world with self-assurance, cultivate relationships with people who lift you up, and gain a deeper understanding of your self-worth.

Therapy For BIPOC Can Help You Advocate For Yourself And Find Acceptance

Maybe you’ve tried to speak up about prejudice you’ve faced in the past, only to be shut down. You might be hesitant to talk about these issues to a therapist out of fear that you’ll receive a similar reaction. 

In therapy for BIPOC at Affinity Psychological Services, your counselor will validate your experiences and allow you to speak freely about your struggles. You can talk about everything from your personal life to societal events without any pressure to censor yourself. Through counseling, you’ll be able to process your emotions and identify areas of your life where you have the power to make positive changes.

What To Expect In Sessions

Before scheduling your first session, our administrative team will match you with a therapist in your area who specializes in providing therapy for BIPOC folks. 

Our counselors apply a solution-oriented approach to therapy. While you will spend time talking about your past experiences, you will also focus on developing skills to help you set strong boundaries, cultivate healthier relationships, and learn to advocate for yourself.

Therapeutic Approaches for BIPOC

Your therapist will customize your treatment plan with your personal needs and resources in mind. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy for POC, and your therapist will draw from multiple treatment approaches in order to design a plan that works for you. There are a variety of therapeutic frameworks, perspectives, and interventions that can be helpful, depending on your current symptoms and goals for counseling.

Your therapist will also always keep in mind systemic factors that can impact and intersect with someone’s mental and emotional well-being. Additionally, your unique intersecting identities will also be considered in terms of how they influence your experience in the world and what health and well-being mean to you personally.

In therapy, you’ll also work on developing helpful habits that support your overall wellbeing and forming relationships with people who appreciate you for who you are. By making lifestyle changes outside of counseling sessions, you can start to feel empowered and confident.

Advocating for yourself in a world where racism is still prevalent can be challenging. But with therapy for BIPOC, you can find spaces where you are not only accepted but celebrated and begin to build a genuinely fulfilling life for yourself.

But You May Still Have Questions About Therapy for BIPOC…

I’m not sure if I can really afford therapy.

We understand that therapy can be costly for many people who need mental health services, particularly for those from marginalized backgrounds. That’s why we are a pro-insurance practice. We accept a wide range of insurance policies, enabling our clients to get the help they need without high fees. 

I’m hesitant to tell a stranger about my experiences with racism.

Talking about instances when you’ve faced prejudice can be nerve-wracking. At our practice, you will never have to worry about your struggles being brushed aside – your therapist will validate and acknowledge the pain that you have lived with as a POC. If you would like to work with a therapist who shares your background, we will make every effort to match you with a professional who has walked in your shoes.

What if talking about the discrimination I’ve faced retraumatizes me?

At Affinity Psychological Services, we’ll never push you to talk about difficult experiences. You can open up on your own timing. Your therapist will create a relaxed, open environment where you feel comfortable opening up at your own pace. You decide what you want to share and you can explore your history in a truly safe space.

You Can Heal From The Emotional Impact Of Racism

If racism and discrimination have negatively affected your mental health and you’re ready to pursue therapy, you can reach out through our contact page to learn more about our practice. You can use our scheduling page to book your first session at one of our offices in Edina, Plymouth, St. Cloud, or Bloomington.