Asking for help is not always easy—especially when it involves something as personal as mental health. In a society that stigmatizes mental health and mental health treatment, suffering silently is a tradeoff many are willing to take. 

The Tubman Center for Health & Freedom is here to remind you that mental health is health. Just as physical exercise, drinking water, and eating well are depicted as the gold-standards of health and wellness, so is actively nurturing your mental health. Meditation, journaling, actively doing things you love, and seeking help from a professional are all valid and effective examples of mental health practices. 

The conversation around talk therapy must begin with an important acknowledgement. While mainstream Mental and Behavioral Health has focused around talk therapy, we must remember what we know to be true: there are many different approaches to addressing emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Through Tubman Health’s WELL US research study, we know that marginalized people use many different modalities and cultural traditions to improve and maintain our health. Because mainstream medical models have not adequately served us, we have found our own practices for healing and transformation. Mainstream medicine must recognize these practices as valid, and in appropriate instances, insurance practices should be required to cover such modalities. 

Modalities such as massage therapy and acupuncture have been well studied and are known even in the literature to reduce stress, improve sleep patterns, manage blood pressure, and diminish depression. Just as legitimate are the other teachings we’ve received from elders in our community.  Improving mental, emotional, and spiritual health can be done through ceremony or prayer, a breathwork or yoga practice, a night of dancing, or sweating out those things that no longer serve us in the gym. While talk therapy can be an extremely useful tool for our communities, for maximum benefit, we should remember to incorporate this tool with the modalities our communities have learned to rely upon as well. 

Therapists resource 

If you are thinking about seeking help—perhaps by finding a talk therapist—we thank you for your courage and for caring for yourself in this way. We are all interconnected, so when you care for yourself, you are caring for us all. As we go through life and encounter pain and trauma, it is healthy to seek support and a safe space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and concerns. 

Particularly true in marginalized communities, where racial traumas and discrimination are so prevalent, therapy can be a crucial tool for healing. After experiencing racial trauma, anxiety, stress, and hypervigilance are very normal after effects. If you have been affected by racial trauma, you may be interested in seeing a “trauma-informed” mental health provider specialized in working with people with trauma. 

Tubman Health wants to support you in your journey of finding the right therapist for your mental health needs. At our future clinic, Tubman Health will offer patients a variety of options for supporting health and wellbeing. We recognize that each of our journeys to physical and mental health will look different, so providing a range of mental health methods, treatments, and therapies is a priority; this includes both the methods widely available in the mainstream system, as well as the traditional methods our communities use and know to be effective. 

Many of our community members (and future patients) have shared how difficult it is to find trauma-informed and/or BIPOC-centered talk therapists in the Puget Sound Region. To support your search, view the resource at the bottom of this page.  

Questions to ask potential therapists 

While finding a therapist in general is difficult, finding the right therapist can feel insurmountable. When meeting a therapist for the first time, it is important to screen them to determine if they are the right fit for you and your needs. The right therapist should be relatable, trustworthy, and supportive, among other qualities. Your relationship with your therapist/mental health provider has a lot to do with the outcome of therapy, so be intentional with your choice. 

Here are some sample questions that could be used to get to know a prospective therapist:

Qualification questions 

1. 1. How long have you been practicing? 
   2. What licenses and certifications do you have and which professional organizations do you belong to? 

Technical questions

1. 1. Which insurance providers do you accept? 
   2. How long is each session? 
   3. What is your cost per session? 
   4. Will I be charged for cancellations or no-shows?

Therapy approach questions 

1. 1. What type of therapy do you think would be most helpful to me?
   2. What is your general philosophy and approach to healing? 
   3. Are you more directive or more guiding?
   4. How do you determine therapy goals?
   5. What does a typical session with you look like? 
   6. What kind of homework/reading do you give patients? 
   7. How do I prepare for my first session? 
   8. What are the signs that therapy is effective? How will we assess my progress? 
   9. What should I do if I don’t feel better?

Cultural competence questions

1. 1. How do I know you’ll respect and understand core issues of my identity?
   2. Have you served clients of [insert your background, identity, and/or belief system] in the past?
   3. What training have you completed to effectively serve people of my background, identity, and/or belief system?
   4. What work have you done to challenge your own personal biases and beliefs and increase cultural sensitivity?
   5. As a person of color, why should I trust you?
   6. Do you believe we live in a white supremacy culture?
   7. Do you operate from a racial justice framework? How did you learn about that framework? 
   8. Are you LGBTQ affirming and competent? 

Other important questions

1. 1. Can I trust that everything I say to you stays between you and me?
   2. Since I am just one of many patients, how do I know that you’ll be focused on and care about me individually?
   3. Are you qualified to prescribe medication? 
   4. Even if you think I would benefit, if I don’t want medication, are you going to push them on me? 
   5. If you think I would benefit from medication, would you be able to refer me to someone who could prescribe them and monitor my care?
   6. How important is it for you to know about my past?
   7. Have you experienced my issue in your personal life? 

As always, remember to trust your gut.