Racial Identity Therapy
for Mixed Race, Biracial & Multiracial Adults
Who are you?
This is a challenging question for many of my clients before coming to see me. As mixed race, biracial, or multiracial people, many of my clients feel caught in the in-between and who feel like they have to pick and choose parts of who they are in order to receive care.
If you're biracial or multiracial, you might worry that you're not “normal.” Or that you’ll never have the kinds of relationships you've longed for. Or that you'll never be comfortable in your body. As a result you might find yourself conforming to what seems the safest, or looking outside of yourself for reassurance, advice, and permission.
Contrary to what oppressive institutions, family dynamics, or your past experiences might have you believe, you make sense. You can trust your own values and opinions. You can honor your needs and boundaries. You can find safety and confidence in vulnerability. And you can build relationships that feel good.
You belong.
I deeply believe that therapy is not about what needs to be fixed, but rather uncovering what wisdom already lies within and practicing how to harness it.
I use a holistic approach to help you move through self-doubt, insecurity, and isolation into a place of self-trust, confidence, and connection.
I help clients:
-
Feel understood
-
Reduce insecurities and increase confidence
-
Construct their own narrative and speak about their identity from a place of confidence
-
Release shame about not being "enough"
-
Process privilege and guilt and move toward centered accountability
-
Move through social anxiety and socially isolation in order to make friends
-
Process trauma in your past or existing relationships
-
Deepen self-awareness so that you can reimagine what’s possible from a place of grounded authenticity
-
Set and hold healthy boundaries with others
-
Reconcile tension between their racial identities
-
Address racial stress and trauma
-
Address internalized racism and white supremacy
-
Recover from traumatic experiences
-
Develop tools to cope with stress and conflict
-
And more
If you want to know more about what sessions are like, keep reading! Have other questions about fees, scheduling, etc.? That's at the end of this page.
What are sessions like?
Getting started:
The first few sessions are focused on getting to know each other better and identifying goals for our work. We’ll discuss any symptoms you may be experiencing, your satisfaction with your life and relationships as is, and the major milestones and main players in your history. I’ll also probably share a number of educational resources with you to supplement our work in session and help you translate new skills into your every day life.
When we begin, there may also be things in your life or your relationships that need immediate attention. We will address those things so that you can focus on your larger goals as our work continues. And, of course, crises may arise throughout our work, and we will also respond to those as they arise.
Finding our stride:
Each session we will decide the focus for our time together. You can of course give me a quick rundown of what's been happening in your life more broadly, but the more we can focus the more effective our work will be.
During sessions, I use a holistic approach which integrates:
-
Somatic Resourcing: I’ll teach you how to track and understand what’s happening in your body. We do this through breath, posture, movement, body sensation, nervous system education, and more.
-
Self-Leadership: One of the models I use in my work is called Parts Work. Essentially, this model creates space for our multiplicity: many of us already speak about ourselves in parts (e.g. a part of me feels this way…a part of me feels that way…). When we are struggling with trauma, identity, or belonging, we our feelings can be complex. By welcoming our “parts” we can begin to practice leading from a wise, centered place of Self.
-
Depth Work: Exploring the roots of what you’re struggling with is critical to sustainable transformation. This includes processing your early life experiences, family of origin, past relationships, and more. This may also include trauma processing, depending on your experiences and desires to do that sort of work.
-
Connection: You’re here because you want to build the relationships you’ve always dreamed of. For clients who are isolated, finding ways to connect with others is as important to your wellbeing as the work we do in session together. For clients who are struggling in their existing relationships, we work on deepening intimacy and practicing co-regulation.
Ending
I leave the decision to end our work together up to you. Some people prefer to wrap up once our initially identified goals have been accomplished. Others choose to set new goals or continue simply for the support.
If you're unsure I'm always happy to provide you with my perspective on whether therapy or coaching could continue to be a resource for you, and if so brainstorm with you what that could look like.
Just because we decide to stop meeting doesn't mean we have to say goodbye forever or that I can't be a resource for you. I always welcome old clients back for check-ins or longer-term work, and clients are of course welcome to participate in my workshops and other offerings.
Other FAQ
How much do sessions cost?
Sessions are $190 (50-minute sessions). I do not accept insurance. Learn more about my payment options, private pay, and claiming on your out-of-network benefits here.
How frequent are sessions?
I work with people on a once-weekly or every-other-week basis. I do not provide monthly appointments.
How long do people usually work with you?
I will have a better idea of how long you might expect to work on your initial goals after a few sessions. While therapy helps us find closure on many things in our lives, it also tends to open things up. I view therapy as a layered and multi-functional process that we can choose to be engaged with at any point in our lives. Together, we can identify the theme and scope of your care. Learn about your right to receive a Good Faith Estimate.
Where do we meet?
I provide both in-person and teletherapy to people living in Michigan. I'm based in Ypsilanti, MI, and if you are nearby you are more than welcome in my office.
What if I don't live in Michigan?
If you are interested in working with me but live out of state, I do provide virtual coaching for Mixed & Multiracial folks and somatic coaching for all identities. During a consultation, we can explore if the scope and fit of coaching works for you.