Blog #33
Why Cultural Sensitivity in Therapy Matters — Especially for Those of Us Who've Felt Misunderstood
As a Filipino-Canadian therapist, I’ve often sat with clients who tell me, “I didn’t think therapy was for people like me,” or, “I was afraid I’d have to explain everything about my culture just to be understood.” I get it.
When therapy overlooks culture, it can feel distant and disconnected. But when therapists take the time to understand where you're coming from, your values, your lived experiences, your identity, something shifts. Trust builds. The work deepens. And healing feels more possible.
In a world where more people are holding identities shaped by migration, racism, intergenerational trauma, or community stigma, culturally sensitive therapy isn’t optional. It’s essential.
What Is Cultural Sensitivity in Therapy?
Cultural sensitivity means holding space for who you are, your background, your family stories, your language, your traditions, and the ways those things shape how you navigate life. It’s recognizing that culture plays a huge role in how we understand ourselves, how we deal with stress, how we view mental health, and even whether we believe it's okay to ask for help.
But it also means that therapists (including myself) need to do our own work, unpacking biases, understanding power dynamics, and continually learning from the people we sit with. It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about being open, curious, and deeply respectful of the ways identity and culture show up in the therapy room.
Why It Makes a Difference
It Helps Build Safety and Trust
If you’ve ever felt dismissed or misunderstood in a healthcare setting because of your race, language, gender, or background, you’re not alone. Many people from marginalized communities carry that history with them. So when you walk into therapy, it takes extra courage.
Culturally sensitive therapy acknowledges that reality. It’s not just about talking. It’s about creating a space where you don’t have to explain the “why” behind everything. Where your values aren’t seen as problems. Where you can take your armor off.
It Improves Communication
Culture influences how we express emotion, how we ask for support, and what silence or body language means. A therapist who gets that, or who’s willing to learn, can communicate in a way that feels more natural and less clinical. That matters when you're talking about the hard stuff.
It Honors Your Worldview
Whether you grew up in a multigenerational household, lived through immigration, navigated queerness in a conservative family, or carry traditions that mainstream therapy doesn’t often acknowledge, those things belong in the room.
Culturally sensitive therapists make room for your values, beliefs, and practices without pathologizing them. We work with your worldview, not against it.
For Filipino and Other Racialized Clients
As someone raised in a Filipino immigrant family, I know that therapy can sometimes feel like unfamiliar territory. You might be used to keeping things in the family. You might have been taught to pray harder, push through, or not burden others. And if mental health was stigmatized growing up, it might feel uncomfortable to even consider therapy.
But here’s what I want you to know: therapy doesn't mean rejecting your culture. It can actually be a place where you explore it more deeply, where you untangle what’s been painful and strengthen what’s been beautiful.
When Culture Is Ignored, Therapy Can Miss the Mark
Therapists who don’t practice cultural sensitivity may unknowingly misinterpret your experiences. They might:
Mislabel cultural expressions of distress as symptoms
Overlook how racism or intergenerational trauma impacts your mental health
Suggest solutions that don't align with your values or family dynamics
Make you feel like you have to “translate” your identity to be seen
This mismatch can leave you feeling unseen, or worse, re-traumatized. That’s why cultural attunement matters so much. It’s not just about avoiding harm; it’s about deepening connection and care.
What Culturally Sensitive Therapy Looks Like
It acknowledges barriers — like stigma, language, or access—without shame.
It validates your experiences — of discrimination, microaggressions, or cultural pressure.
It sees your identity as a strength — not something to “work around.”
It invites your whole self into the process — including your faith, traditions, and history.
How Therapists Can Practice Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity isn’t a checklist. It’s a mindset. It’s a practice. It means:
Continuing education and anti-oppression work
Reflecting on one’s own biases and privileges
Listening more than assuming
Honoring each client’s lived experience as expertise
Creating spaces that are visibly inclusive and welcoming
As a therapist, I continue to learn and unlearn every day. I don’t claim to know every culture—but I’m committed to showing up with humility and a willingness to understand.
Therapy That Feels Like It’s For You
If you’ve ever felt like therapy wasn’t built with your culture in mind, I want you to know: it can be different. You deserve a space where your story is heard in its full context, where your culture, your identity, and your struggles are all welcome.
Whether you’re navigating cultural expectations, intergenerational conflict, racial trauma, or simply trying to hold everything together in a world that doesn’t always feel safe, therapy can be a space where you finally exhale.
And if you’re looking for someone who understands what it’s like to straddle cultures, to carry ancestral stories, or to grow up with a foot in two worlds, I’d be honored to sit with you.
