Living in the UK with a different heritage can bring up hesitation when thinking about starting therapy.
You might wonder:
Will my therapist come from a background that reflects dominant society?
Will they understand me or relate to my differences?
These are valid concerns.
Many people want a therapist who meets them where they are without needing to explain their culture from the beginning or reshape their experience to fit the therapist’s lens.
Intercultural therapy offers a space to reflect and reposition. Your experiences are not just heard but deeply understood.
| When I was a client in therapy, I often longed for a space where I could show up fully without feeling “less than” compared to the therapist.
I held back with therapists who didn’t understand the weight of immigration, the complexity of speaking in a different language, or the absence of privilege. Therapy has evolved and become more diverse, but many therapists are still trained within frameworks shaped by dominant cultural and academic traditions.
Most therapy models are rooted in Western psychological theories, often developed by male scholars from majority backgrounds. Intercultural therapy was founded over 40 years ago in London to challenge this offering a different lens that honours cultural difference and lived realities
You may come to therapy with questions like:
What does it mean to not have English as your first language? To not grow up with certain privileges? Shame and self-doubt can surface when you feel you must explain your culture just to be understood.
As a client seen by therapists from dominant cultures, I often found myself seeking approval trying to fit into a space that mirrored societal expectations.
I worked twice as hard to be seen, and often my therapist wasn’t aware of that extra emotional labour. Even before I became a therapist, I knew I wanted something different or myself and for others who shouldn’t have to struggle so much just to be understood.
I wanted to offer therapeutic services where clients could relate to their therapist without that extra burden.
Therapy must welcome both difference and similarity. It must allow us to speak up with less fear, less effort, and more dignity.