Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapy
Being a child of an immigrant parent or parents, you’ve faced the challenges navigating individuation within a collectivistic family. A part of you wants to honor what you feel you need and desire for a fulfilling life, but another part of you feels guilt around not honoring what your parent(s) expect of you. As first generation immigrants, your parents may have faced hardships and sacrifices as they migrated to the U.S., and as a result, you feel even more pressure to live up to their high or incompatible expectations of you. Unrealistic or unfit standards can be about what you study at school, the career you choose, and/or marriage and family aspects. If you can relate to such struggles, you’re not alone. You can embrace your authentic self, while still respecting your family.
As a second-generation adult, you struggle with:
Limited sense of autonomy in your family and in life
Academic and career pressures
Fear of failure and disappointing your family and/or others
Fears of rejection, criticism, and abandonment if you say “no” or choose an “unacceptable” life path
Feeling misunderstood and alone in your feelings and needs
Guilt and shame as you in trying to understand your beliefs in connection to your identity parts
Making room for your needs, because self-care is deemed as “selfish”
Feeling overworked and burnt out
Unsure about your purpose and true passions in life
Need to perform or prove yourself
Feelings of resentment, frustration, and anger
Being secretive about your mistakes, shortcomings, and feelings to avoid perceived or actual judgement and disappointment.
“Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean me first, it means me too.”
— L.R. Knost
Finding home and feeling good enough, as a child of immigrant parents myself.
Being raised as a first-generation Persian and Assyrian-American, I have had experiences around my ethnic identity and race. I experienced challenges around navigating individuation within a collectivistic family, while facing feelings of guilt and obligation to the sacrifices my parents made. When it came to college, career, relationships, dating, and experiencing the world, I felt conflicted as I tried to understand what I wanted (rather than what my parents expected) . I felt worried about disappointing my parents, and had to hide parts of myself with my family.
In my own journey of self-discovery and healing, I learned about the guilt and shame I carried as a bicultural individual in my family, including where it came from and how to heal from it. I gained clarity around what I wanted my life to look like when it came to what I studied in college, my career path, who I wanted to date, and how I wanted to experience the world. I also learned how to make room for my needs, feelings, and desires while respecting my cultural identity and my family.
Culturally Sensitive Therapy with a therapist who gets you.
It’s essential to find a therapist who gets you; someone you feel seen, heard, and understood by. This is especially important if you’re a child of immigrants and are feeling alone and misunderstood in your own family due to cultural and generational gaps. As a second generation individual and child of immigrants myself, I’ve worked with a variety of clients, many who are of Latino, Asian, or Middle Eastern descent. They’ve shared with me that it’s been very helpful and affirming to find a therapist like me who actually “gets” them.
I’m a firm believer in exploring the various facets of your story, and being sensitive to relevant cultural, societal, and individual factors that shape you. I take a collaborative stance in understanding how various parts of your identity are interwoven and how those parts influence your story, your beliefs, and your needs during our work together. I also acknowledge that differences inevitably exist between us, and I embrace the fact that I have much to gain in learning about cultural and life experiences outside my own. I believe that you’re the expert of your life story, and I seek to be an attuned listener as we take the journey together towards a place of discovery, acceptance, healing, and growth.
Therapy with me is a space to “be yourself” rather than to “prove yourself”.
How Culturally Sensitive Therapy in Burbank, CA Can Help:
Untangle your feelings of confusion, guilt, and anxiety in order to understand what you emotions mean.
Understood the roots causes of your current struggles by exploring past experiences, including family, cultural, societal, and personal experiences.
Gain relief from unpleasant emotions, including depression and worry through useful tools and practices.
Feel more connected to the different parts of your ethnic background and identity
Identify what parts of you cultural values/beliefs resonate with you, and what parts respectfully don’t.
Manage anxious thoughts, and overcome your fears of failure and disappointment
Feel more secure and confident in yourself
Set more realistic expectations for yourself, that feel true to you
Live a more satisfying life that is in alignment to your authentic self
Improve self-care without feeling selfish and guilty
Learn to manage and prevent burnout
Gain tools to strengthen your relationship with others, including your family.
