Chris L'Esperance
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #114845
Covid-19 Services:
Now offering online therapy services for
Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo County Residents.
People of Color
What’s different about therapy for people of color?
People of color (POC) often face a set of barriers and challenges in their personal and professional lives as a result of the color of their skin, cultural differences, and their ethnic background. POC may experience overt acts of racism and/or more subtle micro-aggressions. They may also experience discomfort or be made to feel inferior to other people because of cultural differences or the color of their skin.
POC often feel misunderstood, frustrated, unseen, confused and alone with these experiences. They may also experience unique challenges with their own identity and in relationships. Therapy can provide an opportunity and a safe space to discuss experiences, process emotions, and gain understanding of how being a person of color impacts you and your life. We will also look at developing skills and strategies to manage uncomfortable feelings and/or experiences related to race/ethnicity, and build empowerment and pride in who you are. There is not a right or a wrong way to be or to feel as a person of color. I want to support you in how you feel and who you are, or want to be in your life as a person of color.
Being a Person of Color in a White World
POC are often aware of how they are different, don’t feel as though they fit or belong, and that they are not part of the white dominant culture. Many POC are familiar with the experience of being the only non-white person in a room, group or other social context. They are often aware of their differences and may simultaneously feel pressure to adhere to norms of White culture. POC may even try to walk, talk and act like a white person as a strategy to minimize their own discomfort or even to minimize the discomfort of the white people around them. This is an example of a situation where cultural and ethnic differences may go unacknowledged, leaving non-white people feeling frustrated, angry, and personally unseen.
Some POC may not feel like they have to try to blend in with white people or adhere to their norms. While other non-white people may feel like they have to expend energy to minimize how white people might experience their differences. POC may even feel restricted or suffocated by the constant pressure to accommodate white culture when their own culture continues to go unrecognized and unacknowledged.
People of Color and Identity:
A person’s identity is a very important part of how they understand and experience themselves in the world. People of color often find themselves feeling torn between the culture of their origin and the dominant white culture. They may have specific values associated with their ethnic or cultural background. For example, there are often religious and/or gender specific expectations within particular cultures which may or may not be important to an individual’s identity. As a result of these pressures and expectations, it can be difficult for people of color to feel a sense of freedom to explore what parts of their identity do or do not feel authentic to them.
Some POC may have grown up in an environment where they were not exposed to many other people from their culture or ethnicity. This can lead to confusion or difficulty with feeling like they understand what it means to be Black, Latin-X, Japanese, Korean, Native, etc. This may leave people feeling as though they do not fit in with white culture. At the same time, it may be difficult for that person to feel rooted in a culture that reflects their ethnicity.
History, Trauma and Cultural Identity:
Many people of color have experienced some level of trauma as a result of their race or culture. This may include being attacked physically or emotionally, traumatic experiences that involved police or other forms of authority, being intimidated or threatened, or bullied and demeaned because of their race. People of color may also experience trauma as a result of the institutionalized racism in America. This may come in the form of poverty, violence or incarceration. Therapy can provide an opportunity to understand your personal relationship to such experiences within yourself, your family and/or your ethnic community.
How one’s parents and family oriented to their own ethnic and cultural background, or were effected by racism individually and/or collectively may have influenced the development of a person’s self-concept. History can have an impact on how people of color see themselves, their own cultures and traditions and what information gets passed down from generation to generation. This information, or lack thereof, can be crucial for the development of identity for younger generations. An absence of sufficient transmission of information can lead to young people of color having difficulty understanding themselves and their own identity. When working with POC, I have noticed that client’s often have difficulty understanding the connection between the history of their culture, their family history within that culture, and their own self-concept. I believe that this is an important theme to address when supporting clients in developing a strong sense of cultural identity.
Bi-racial and Multi-racial:
Many people of color fall into the categories of bi-racial or multi-racial. This can also create confusion and challenges in identity both internally and externally. People who are bi-racial or multi-racial may feel that they are not fully accepted by any one group as being a part of that cultural identity. They may also experience a sense of not quite belonging or feeling at home in a specific cultural community. This is sometimes referred to as psychological homelessness and is not limited to bi-racial or multi-racial persons.
What is internalized racism?
This is the tendency for people of color to view themselves and other people of color through the lens of the racial hierarchy in America where white people are at the top and people of color are subordinate.
A few common expressions of internalized racism are feeling ashamed of one’s ethnic or cultural heritage, using humor to shame one another for perpetuating ethnic stereotypes, and belittling one’s own ethnic and cultural heritage. I am not trying to suggest that there is a right or wrong way of orienting to one’s own cultural background, however, I am trying to offer some understanding and examples of how internalized racism can express itself.
How can I help you with these and other challenges?
If you can relate to some or any of the challenges I have mentioned here and are considering how therapy could help, I would like to support you in bringing these important elements into your unique and individual therapeutic process. Of course, people of color are people first and foremost and will likely have other therapeutic focuses like relationships, trauma, depression and/or anxiety symptoms etc. Issues related to race and culture will likely be part of our focus and may or may not be a primary focus. For many people, their experience as a person of color has a significant influence on the way they experience life and their cultural environment. I want to work with you to support you in the goals you bring to the therapeutic process, and in overcoming the challenges you face whether those are related to race and culture or not. I want to support you in finding an identity that feels authentic and satisfying to you as a unique individual. I want to provide a safe and comfortable space to discuss, process and explore the aspects of your experience as a person of color that are important to you and your life.