What is Inclusive Therapy for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)?
I want to be my full Asian American self in therapy.
How do I make sure I’m not just turning more White in therapy?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I felt like my White therapist just didn’t get it” or “I quit therapy when my therapist told me to just set boundaries with my immigrant parents.”
Don’t get me wrong, I think any therapist of any race can be culturally inclusive with the right training, consideration, and sensitivity. For example, I trust the diverse team here at Woven to be thoughtful of issues of (de)colonization, Asian American frame switching, and being flexible with interventions to consider unique aspects of identity.
But I think I hear these comments so much because there isn’t enough widespread understanding about and inclusivity for AAPI identity among mental health professionals.
For example, here are some questions that you may have asked:
How do we explain to our immigrant parents or grandparents that we’re trying to prioritize our mental health, when they survived war by downplaying their own trauma and risked it all to give you a better life?
What happens when your AAPI family is abusive, and cutting ties with them feels like cutting your only tie to your home culture?
What happens when we try to talk about emotions with our family when Asian cultures are much more nonverbal or acts-of-service driven?
What happens when we can’t translate the “gold-standard” I statements into a native language that doesn’t even have I statements?
On top of this all, you wonder– Am I Asian enough? Am I American enough? Do I belong anywhere?
These questions, and any others you have, can be welcomed and made space for in therapy!
I believe that the AAPI community with all its beautiful diversity should be able to access quality therapy– no matter if you are 1st, 2nd, 3rd gen; multiracial, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander, international, White-passing, LGBTQIA, gender diverse, or just not really sure what you think about all the labels.
If you resonate with any of these aspects reading this article, please consider how you might start to bring your full AAPI self into your therapy. Your culturally sensitive therapist will advocate for you and make space for all the facets of your racial, and ethnic identity in therapy. They will be collaborative and flexible in their therapeutic suggestions and support for you.
After all, therapy is most effective when it is a safe space where you don’t feel like you need to leave any parts of yourself at the door. Especially when having to switch between your “Asian” versus “American” selves has been your whole life.
If you feel that you need support finding therapy that is culturally sensitive to your AAPI identity, there are many steps you can take to start. You can book a free consultation with our therapist matchmaker to explore online individual (CA residents only) therapy. You can also educate yourself through psychoeducational books and seek social support through AAPI communities online or in your local community.
These blogs talk more about the basics of EMDR:
You can read more about Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy here: