The United States is an ever-growing landscape of multicultural individuals. Learning to incorporate a diverse practice in your psychotherapy career expands the care you are able to provide to your clients. Racial or ethnic backgrounds may require a different approach to mental healthcare because of cultural stigmatization and barriers that come along with experiences. Collectivistic cultures center the family first, while therapy helps the client realize it’s okay to center their emotional needs. Because of the common use of denial in multicultural communities, acknowledgement and validation provide your clients the security they need to excel.
Taking a closer look at the origins of psychotherapy, introductory psychology courses teach the names of Freud, Adler, and Jung. Undoubtedly these men made contributions that impact psychotherapy careers to this day but because of the lack of diversity in the development of the practice, learning to incorporate diversity in your psychoanalytic approach provides an authentic opportunity to connect with more clients. And, a majority of practicing therapists are white. If practicing professionals in the United States recognize the advantages of learning to work specifically with multicultural populations, the scope of psychotherapy careers and practices hold potential to expand to new markets.