Ask Dr. Faith

Dear Dr. Faith, I started therapy, but sometimes I spend more time explaining my culture than explaining my pain. There are things about race, family, faith, and the way I was raised that do not seem to translate. My therapist is kind, but I am beginning to wonder whether kindness is enough. How do I know whether someone really understands my Black experience, and does my therapist have to be Black to help me? Dear reader, what you are describing is real, and it can be exhausting...

Dear Dr. Faith, The older I get, the more I notice patterns in my family. We don't talk about pain. We survive it. My mother did what her mother taught her, and sometimes I hear myself saying or doing things I promised I would never repeat with my own children. I love my family and don't want to dishonor anyone, but how do I heal something that may have started before I was born? Dear one, the fact that you can name this pattern with love already tells me something important...

Knowing you need counseling can take courage. Finding counseling can take energy you may already feel you do not have.If you are facing cost, insurance confusion, transportation issues, childcare needs, long waitlists, limited provider availability, or the simple question of “Where do I even start?”, please hear this first: the barrier is real, and it is not a personal failure.Recent research with Black and Latino teens, parents, and professionals has named what many families already know...