Defining Multicultural Identity

Multicultural identity refers to the unique blend of two or more cultural backgrounds—for example, native/immigrant culture blended with first-generation American culture. If you’re anything like me, you know you’re not fully one or the other; rather, you’re a blend of both cultures and it’s not necessarily 50/50. Each individual decides how much or how little to blend on their own, and I choose to see multicultural integration as something dynamic that develops over a lifetime of identity formation and maturity. Additionally, for many immigrant families, cultural identity and religious identity can become intermingled, specifically within social support systems and places of worship. When working with me, you’ll find a space to holistically explore and define your multifaceted identity without feeling the pressure to fit into extremes or expectations.

Defining Intergenerational Family Dynamics & Trauma

Intergenerational family dynamics refers to how one generation can consciously or unconsciously influence another by passing on rules, values, and/or emotional patterns. Some of those emotional patterns may actually be responses to traumatic events endured by previous generations. Intergenerational trauma can be psychological (i.e. emotional or behavioral patterns) or physiological (i.e. epigenetic trends) and is a common experience for children of immigrants. We are creatures of habit, and sometimes we’ll follow a pattern without fully being aware of it – by exploring your family history and utilizing a genogram, we’ll be able to help you track your own behavior and help you identify opportunities for change and improvement. Your parents did the best they could with the tools they had; now, let’s do better together.

Defining Immigration Trauma & Acculturation Stress

Immigration trauma refers to the psychological and physical distress that arises before, during, and after migration – such as war, violence, poverty, exploitation, or family separation. This distress can manifest as symptoms of chronic stress, PTSD, depression, anxiety, sleep impairments, and/or somatic pain, depending on the complexity of conditions surrounding migration and acculturation processes. Acculturation stress refers to the various forms of stress that specifically stem from the process of adjusting to a new country and cultural environment, such as language barriers, economic marginalization, financial instability, racism, micro-aggressions, hate crimes, risk of deportation, and/or family separation. In many families, immigration trauma and acculturation stress are left unresolved and unhealed prior to welcoming the first generation of American-born children of immigrants, ultimately contributing to a pattern of intergenerational trauma within the family. Our therapeutic space will allow for the stories of your parents and ancestors to be heard and held in context with your life and present concerns.

What does it look like to address culture & family in therapy?

We’ll start with your “family of origin”—that is, the family you grew up with in your home (e.g. parents, siblings, grandparents). From there, we’ll explore patterns within the family and between generations using Bowen Family Systems Theory. Our family of origin is typically where we first learn ideas like love, connection, security, worth, expression, resilience, and meaning. In a multicultural family of origin, we may also learn things like shame and secrecy, abuse, filial obligations, gender roles, marital expectations, class dynamics, and family enmeshment. We then carry these building-blocks deep into our core identities and our future relationships even when we don’t realize it. So yes, we are going to talk about your parents and even your grandparents, but we’re not going to just blame them and stop there. The point of examining your family of origin is to help you identify unconscious emotional patterns and choose a better, wiser path for yourself.

What does it look like outside therapy?

Your continued self-reflection between sessions will ensure that your healing journey continues beyond our therapy session. I may encourage you to practice expressive writing, art, or mindfulness after we’ve practiced and discussed those interventions during our session.

Some clients will engage in post-therapy discussions with other family members in an effort to continue processing and tracking inter-relational patterns/dynamics. I don’t require this of my clients, but I can say that several of my clients benefit from this ongoing effort between sessions.

What’s a genogram & how do we use it in therapy?

A genogram is a visual representation of at least three generations of your family history. By mapping out your family, I can support you in recognizing emotional and relational patterns and/or the effects of trauma that are unconsciously passed down from parents to children. The point of utilizing this tool is not to blame or condemn your parents, it’s to help increase your self-awareness and individual ability to choose a different legacy for your life and children.

While we may be able to create the framework of your genogram during therapy, some clients benefit from interviewing family members (or friends of family) between therapy sessions to gather additional information. In attempts to interview, there’s a possibility that family members may avoid talking about things due to cultural shame or even become angry that a sensitive topic was brought up; therefore, I don’t require this step for clients. We will process those patterns of shame and family secrets together in session.

What does therapy look like if English is not my native language?

The majority of our therapeutic work will be in conversational English. At times, we may experience a few areas where the depth of certain words between languages or cultural idiosyncrasies may be challenging to fully express - when we encounter these areas, we will practice slowing down and allowing space for these concepts to be integrated into our therapeutic focus. My brain thinks in English, and my primary language is English; however, I was raised in a home that spoke Malayalam and I’m accustomed to a bilingual/blended language environment. I’ve worked with several clients with whom we’ve practiced expressing a few important ideas or phrases in their native language first (e.g. Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Tamil, Spanish) then repeating it in English and continuing our therapy session in English. This approach limits how much time or energy is spent on translation during sessions while still allowing for the nuance of vocal tone, facial expression, intonation, pace, and emotion to be more fully expressed, fully heard, and fully understood.

Do I have to work with a therapist with my same cultural background?

Not necessarily! I genuinely enjoy working with diverse clients and have experience working with clients from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. It’s not a requirement to have cultural alignment with your therapist; however, this may feel more comfortable for some individuals. What matters most is that you don’t feel burdened to use significant portions of your therapy hour to explain cultural norms to your therapist—which might have a negative impact on your overall therapeutic experience because it’s not your job to educate your therapist. When you and your therapist share some aspects of your cultural background, it may enhance your general experience of trust, rapport, understanding, appropriate homework, and the overall ease of discussing family dynamics in therapy.

I’m an Indian American, born and raised in Dallas, Texas to immigrant parents from South India (Kerala). My personal upbringing may be relatable if you identify as Indian, South Asian, Asian American, a first- or second-generation American, and/or an adult child of immigrant parents.