Therapy for Racial Identity

You felt curious about therapy for a moment, and then a part of you said, "You don't need it; asking for help would mean that you're weak. You're supposed to be able to handle things on your own; be strong".

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You were taught that you had to walk around in the world with tough skin just to survive.

 

And then, there you were - out and about in the world - walking around in survival mode with that tough skin that you were made to wear everywhere and everyday.

 

Meanwhile, white supremacy, anti-blackness, and native invisibility all determined that you were bad, inferior, a threat, or that you did not matter because of the skin you were in. There you were, racially traumatized.

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Therapy? "Yeah, right", said the part of you who was negatively influenced by multicultural stigma of therapy.

 

Overcoming the stigma of mental health takes serious grit, determination, and strength just like you've had to show others each and every day of your life to survive.

 

You and other Asian, Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color encounter major barriers in everyday life due to systemic racism.

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Stigma of therapy only serves to create one more barrier because, ironically, stigma can lead to even more discrimination.

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Actually, you're taking responsibility to take care of your mental health by asking for therapeutic support to heal racialized trauma. It means that you're embracing the power of vulnerability and radical self-compassion.

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Mending your heart and body is a radical act of politics.

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We want to help, and we can understand why you'd rather avoid therapy - especially with a white and male-identifying therapist.

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Inhibitory emotions like shame, guilt, and anxiety get in the way and interfere with our core emotions like anger, fear, sadness, disgust, joy, excitement, and sexual excitement.

 

Frequently, we try to defend our Self somehow from all of the big, overwhelming emotions (e.g. depression).

 

We will help you slow down, tune in, and heal.

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Working with a mindful and inclusive therapist can give you the safe space, outlet & sounding board, and therapeutic support that you need to untangle all of your thoughts, emotions, and defense behaviors while we unburden the parts of you that need attentive time and space to be seen, heard, and understood.

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MATTHEW'S STATEMENT ON HIS OWN IDENTITY, POSITION, AND WORK:

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Our values as a modern and inclusive mental health practice are adopted from our professional membership organization called the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

 

These core values include social justice, service, dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence.

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Recent history of the mental health world would show that many clinicians were educated to develop "cultural competence".

 

While competence is an important value and pillar of responsible clinical practice, we believe that one cannot simply become fully "competent" in a culture from which that one person does not inherently belong. 

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Instead, we prefer the endearing process of "cultural humility", which in our view, does well to emphasize that personal healing and developmental work is a lifelong endeavor instead of an arrival point at which someone may become stagnant, comfortable, or ignorant.

 

"To learn" is a verb, and we will practice humility to always improve and increase our personal and professional knowledge, skills, empathy, understanding of, and connection to humanity and multiculturalism.

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According to a statement posted on Instagram by the NASW New York State Chapter (@naswnys) on January 15, 2021, “Being a social worker does not absolve you from being racist”.

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We agree, and we're grateful to NASW for their ongoing guidance for anti-racist resources.

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A statement by Matthew Braman, LCSW, LCSW-C (he/him), Founder & CEO / Therapist of Verve Psychotherapy LCSW, PLLC on his own white identity, power & privilege, and dismantling white supremacy in mental health:

 

“Using my personal and professional power & privileges - white, cis-gender, heterosexual, male, middle class, millennial, college educated, small business owner, married, U.S. born citizen, Christian, and neurotypical, able-body - with integrity is an ongoing action and a lifelong learning process to which I am committed for as long as I live”.

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We celebrate the strengths and center the needs of people with marginalized identities.

 

Anti-racism, anti-oppression, and social justice principles guide our work. AAPI, Latinx, & BIPOC folx deserve affirming care that does no harm.

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You must be seen, heard, and understood without judgment during therapy because we need you to heal, learn, & grow.

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We're proud to serve you, march with you, and advocate for you. We are proud to decolonize therapy.

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For too long and for too often, "business as usual" in this country and abroad did traumatic generational harm to AAPI, Latinx, & BIPOC folx. 

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Please read more about why we signed the Anti-Racist Small Business Pledge here.

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Especially for White folx, it's on all of us to be anti-racist. Moreover, if you are "White Like Me" or if you would like to overcome your "White Fragility" to use your power and privilege with integrity (e.g. become anti-racist), then we invite you to book a consultation.