Culturally Sensitive Therapy in Ambler, PA
Are you feeling marginalized? Have you felt like the “other,” Or like a “foreigner,” even though America is your home? Do you find yourself being in the minority often or turned to as the “token minority?” Have you struggled with feeling like you don’t belong? Maybe you have felt the tension of not being fully accepted by neither your native culture nor dominant culture? If any of this resonates with your experience, you might find yourself feeling misunderstood, or like an outsider, yearning to be seen, heard, and understood by someone who gets it – we’re here for you. We understand where you’re coming from, and our therapists can help you learn to accept and embrace all the parts of who you are.
We know that your culture, ethnicity, gender, and other cultural characteristics are not who you are, but they do influence how you interact with the world – both positively and negatively. Our counselors offer culturally sensitive therapy in our Ambler, PA office for residents of Lower Gwynedd, Ambler, and all of Montgomery County. If you live a little further from our office but you still want to work with a cross-culturally competent therapist, you can join us online for telehealth therapy sessions available for residents of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Colorado.
You are Not Alone
When feelings of isolation or “otherness” overwhelm you, it’s important to process the painful experiences with someone who understands, who has had significant cross-cultural experience themselves, and who respects and honors your journey. Our therapists acknowledge that we are living in times where it does not feel safe to be seen as different. We believe in the value of every person, and are passionate about providing a safe space for people of diverse backgrounds to feel heard and empowered. We are well aware of the challenges in family and social dynamics as they relate to:
- The immigrant experience
- Trauma through generations
- Acculturation conflicts
- Racial and ethnic identity development
- Children of immigrant parents finding themselves in parental roles as they mediate on their behalf due to language barriers
Through culturally sensitive therapy, our hope is that you can bring all of who you are, your authentic true self to your sessions, knowing that you will be completely and fully accepted without any judgement. It is also important to note that, if there is ever any aspect of your culture that we may not be as familiar with, we seek to approach from a posture of curiosity, ready to listen and learn from you.
What is Culturally Sensitive Therapy?
Culturally sensitive therapy is an approach to counseling in which the therapist respects and honors the client’s values, experiences, and belief systems without assigning more value to that of the dominant culture. Space is made to recognize, grieve, and process experiences of oppression, discrimination, and suffering from being a person of color. Instead of simply using taking a “cookie cutter” approach for everyone, culturally sensitive therapists believe that it is more effective to diversify the specific therapeutic approach or technique from person-to-person, depending on a client’s background.
The therapist does not take on a colorblind perspective, but instead, acknowledges and celebrates the unique qualities of your cultural background that make up who you are. The expectation and ultimate goals for both the therapist and the client are significant progress in reaching the client’s goals despite cross-cultural boundaries and differences. Meeting with a therapist who is culturally competent can make all the difference in feeling seen and understood. If this sounds like just what you have been looking for or didn’t even know you needed, we would love to journey with you in finding healing in these areas and help you find ways to live life more freely, the way you were created to live.
Further Reading On Cross-Cultural Therapy
Read more about cross-cultural therapy in our blog posts:
3 Ways For Self-Care In The Midst Of Political Stress
By Genevieve Kim, MA, LMFT Last November, I wrote about 3 ways to deal with the heightened stress during Election season. I suggested: 1, Setting limits in watching the news 2. Unplugging from social media 3. Establishing healthy boundaries around discussing...
4 Myths Preventing You From Going to Counseling
by Maddie Lukens, MA Some of our ideas about what a counselor does come from comics, cartoons, sitcoms, or even reality TV shows. Picture this: a client walks into a small office - there is a couch and a desk, probably one thousand books line the shelves of the dimly...
Culturally Sensitive Therapy: The Value of Being Seen
by Genevieve Kim, MA, LMFT In Part 1 of this series, I talked about how to identify whether Culturally Sensitive Therapy is right for you. Check out Part 1 if you haven’t already. If you resonate with any of the ways to recognize whether Culturally Sensitive Therapy...
Additional Counseling Services at
Lime Tree Counseling
In addition to therapy for addiction and substance use disorders, we also provide a range of therapy solutions, including:
Christian Counseling
When your faith is a central part of who you are, you need that as part of your counseling. Our team are all Christians, ready to help you learn what God has for you…Learn more
Anxiety Therapy
Anxiety can be overwhelming. Whether it’s a constant worrying or more intense panic attacks, no one should endure regular anxiety. If you or your spouse struggles in this area, please consider anxiety treatment…Learn more
Online Counseling
Life gets busy, and maybe coming into the office is not doable. Or perhaps you live in a remote area, and don’t have access to quality mental health care. We offer online counseling services to those residing in Pennsylvania…Learn more
Get Started With Therapy Today!
Please contact Lime Tree Counseling to schedule an appointment or a free consultation. We will get back to you as soon as possible and get you scheduled. In our Ambler, PA office, we serve all of Montgomery County, and our therapists are happy to offer online counseling sessions for residents of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Colorado.