#MentalHealthMatters
Thank you to Lora McManus-Graham, she/her, for compiling these resources!
Therapist Databases
WA Local Resources
Multicultural Counselors: Curated by WA state BIPOC practitioners, can filter by Ethnicity, Language, Cultural, Religious, etc. identities
National Resources
- Therapy for Black Girls
- Therapy for Black Men
- LatinxTherapy
- Asian Mental Health Collective
- National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
- Melanin and Mental Health
- Adoptee Therapist Directory
- Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective, a wellness nonprofit that trains people to respond to mental health crises, has an online directory with a variety of Black practitioners including therapists, yoga instructors, doulas and mediators.
- Hurdle, previously known as Henry Health, likewise does not select providers based on the color of their skin. The company is unique in that it not only vets its therapists, it also trains them using a cultural competence curriculum developed by Norma L. Day-Vines, an associate dean in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University.
Tips on finding a culturally competent therapist
Keep in mind that online therapist directories do not always have the resources to verify licensing or vet the quality of the therapist, so it’s important to do your own due diligence. First, make sure that your therapist is licensed and in good standing with their licensing board. If you were researching a psychologist, for example, you would start by looking them up on the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.
After you’ve located someone promising, ask for a free “get to know you” session where you can interview the therapist about treatments and cultural competence, said Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez, a professor at Utah State University and an expert in multicultural psychology.
Dr. Rodríguez suggested asking the following questions:
- What is your approach to treating my issue?
- Do you use an evidence-based treatment? If so, what is it called?
- How often do you work with Black, Indigenous and other people of color?
- What challenges have you faced in providing services to people of color and how have you addressed them?
When you eventually start seeing someone, the National Alliance on Mental Illness recommends asking yourself the following questions:
- Did my provider communicate effectively with me?
- Is my provider willing to integrate my beliefs, practices, identity and cultural background into my treatment plan?
- Was I treated with respect and dignity?
- Do I feel like my provider understands and relates well with me?
If you can answer yes to each of these questions, you’re off to a great start. “Cultural competence matters,” Dr. Domenech Rodríguez said. “But it is defined by the clients, not the therapists.”