Hello everyone! I'm back with a quick follow-up from a previous post (and my personal promise to blog more in 2019). And no, I did not get paid from TherapyDen to write about it. I did get permission though (thanks Jeff!). I am writing because I have a passion for inclusive and culturally-competent therapy. And I'm going to be a little bit vulnerable and explain ONE of the personal reasons why.
As any good therapist will proudly say, I have been in therapy. So I understand how nerve-wracking it can be to lay your story out there and hope someone will understand. Specific to this post, my partner and I sought out couples therapy during a rough patch in our relationship. We were nervous because we didn't know how to fix it and wanted help. The person we ended up seeing was kind and well-meaning, but said some things that left us feeling not understood. As a counselor myself, I get that this happens, but some of the statements this person made about race and gender left us with a bad taste in our mouths. I am in a cross cultural marriage and was planning two blended yet culturally distinct weddings at the time. So, this was not what we needed, and we didn't return after the first session.
I can say as a therapist, a client, and a human with my own intersection of privilege and oppression, it is really a challenge to find the right fit. And therapists may be good fits for different reasons. I am certainly not the right fit for everyone and don't advocate a one-size-fits all approach. But knowing what I know now and having access to Theranest, I think I would have succeeded in finding the right person at that time to help us.
Please check out TherapyDen and support this new service. It is a great tool to find a counselor who may be right for you. And it's a step in the right direction for our growing world and my lovely community of Orlando.
Kaley Sinclair Jiawon is the owner of Sinclair Counseling Services, a counseling practice in Downtown Orlando specializing in trauma recovery and helping her clients find healing, peace, empowerment, and connection. Click here to learn more.