Cultural Competency

The process of creating beats and lyrics is rooted in therapeutic practices. At one South Bronx high school, a school social worker has traded the therapy room... Read more

A movement to integrate trauma-informed care into our justice system aims to decriminalize mental illness and address a foundational cause of mass... Read more

Just like families, coworkers often need help talking honestly and listening deeply, especially when it comes to issues around diversity, equity, and... Read more

Nan LittleWalker never formally signed up to be one of my teachers. In fact, I first met her as one of my colleague’s patients. Several years ago, during my... Read more

What are therapists doing to expand access to those too often shut out of the mental health system? Read more

Almost 20 years ago, an editorial experience writing about a racial trauma at the hands of police resulted in a lasting friendship and an article that... Read more

Self-harm is not a culturally specific phenomenon, but it’s often misunderstood and overlooked in Black children by a society that forces them to grow up... Read more

The key elements of gender-affirmative therapy for clients who are medically or socially transitioning. Read more

The pandemic has showed us just how much our clients need us—and how much we need to tend to ourselves. For some therapists, this has meant reimagining their... Read more

Exploring the intertwined roots of caste and racism in America. Read more

Working with couples on the brink of divorce during this pressure-cooker time requires us to help them “reach up” to their highest values. Read more

Now, more than ever, we’re engaged as a society in finding ways to have a truly meaningful dialogue about race and racism. But how do we translate good... Read more

In this time of uncertainty and turmoil, it’s crucial to recognize that suffering and trauma are not the same thing. Read more

While the Black Lives Matter movement has increased the country’s understanding of the pernicious impact of racism, how do people actually do the internal... Read more

Bringing the larger story of inherited trauma into the therapy room. Read more

In the days after George Floyd’s murder, and amidst their work to address gang-related trauma and violence, a white therapist and her Black cofacilitator... Read more

If ever there was a moment to talk with children about racism and antiracism, it’s now. But how, exactly? Read more

Black people know all too well that their daily experience of racism doesn’t matter unless it interferes with the lives of the white mainstream. As a result... Read more

A shared cultural understanding can be a powerful asset in therapy, adding a familiarity and depth to the exploration of countertransference. Read more

One of the major contributions that the psychotherapeutic community could make now is to begin to engage with racism as a social disease that affects everybody... Read more

A passionate advocate for mental health in underserved communities confronts the question, “Why don’t more black people go to treatment, and why don’t... Read more

What to do about addressing microaggressions in therapy. Read more

How therapists can help the traumatized community of immigrants and asylum seekers. Read more

A group of preteen girls in a long-term shelter teach a budding therapist some unexpected lessons about the true meaning of resilience and the power of... Read more

“Jeremy, we’ve never talked about it, but I cover my head for many reasons,” I told him. “One of them is to keep the energy contained—the heat... Read more

In his opening keynote, Canadian physician Gabor Maté called on therapists to expand their frame of reference and recognize how their job is too often a kind... Read more

Pioneering trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk took aim not only at the politics within the therapy field that determine what diagnoses get into the DSM, but... Read more

What do you do when your life’s expectations get turned upside down? Read more

When it comes to addressing the profound impact of trauma, pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris is calling for primary care physicians and therapists to develop... Read more

In one violent Chicago neighborhood, embattled gang members see themselves as UPOWs—urban prisoners of war. To introduce them to a new set of survival... Read more