When culture is an important part of understanding your experience
Culture may not be the reason you decide to come to therapy, but it can be an important part of understanding what you’re experiencing.
If you’ve grown up across different cultures, there can be different values, expectations and ways of relating to make sense of. What’s expected in your family or culture of origin may not always fit easily with what’s expected in Australian workplaces, relationships or broader society.
You may find yourself caught between different ideas about family, responsibility, emotions, independence or how problems should be spoken about.
You may be navigating challenges at work or in your relationships, while finding that common advice about speaking up or setting boundaries doesn’t quite fit with your values, cultural background or the way you’ve been raised.
Or perhaps you’re struggling to balance maintaining a meaningful connection with your family and culture while creating a life that work for you.
Navigating family, culture and your own needs
Family relationships and cultural expectations can be an important source of connection, belonging and identity. At the same time, navigating different values can feel complicated, particularly when you’re balancing your own needs with the expectations of others.
You might find yourself feeling torn between different priorities, experiencing guilt about certain decisions, or unsure how to navigate situations where there doesn’t seem to be a straightforward answer. What feels right for you may not always align with the advice you’re given or the expectations of those around you.
Therapy can offer a space to explore these experiences with curiosity and without judgement. Rather than assuming there’s one right way to approach relationships or cultural expectations, I’ll take the time to understand your experiences and what matters most to you. We can explore ways of navigating these challenges that support your wellbeing while respecting the relationships and cultural connections that are important to you.
Therapy that considers the cultural context
It can be difficult to seek psychological support when therapy is unfamiliar in your family or community. You may be the first person in your family to see a psychologist, have grown up believing that family problems should remain private or worry that a psychologist won’t understand the cultural context of what you’re experiencing.
Through my own lived experience of navigating cultural and family complexities, I appreciate how important it is to work with someone who cares about understanding cultural nuances rather than brushing over them.
My approach is warm, collaborative and individualised. I don’t treat a person’s cultural context as a problem to be solved. It’s one part of understanding the fuller picture of what’s happening for you.
For clients from a Sri Lankan or broader South-Asian background, I bring a shared cultural understanding that can make some of the nuances within family and cultural dynamics easier to understand.
Begin a conversation
If you’d like to learn more about working together, you’re welcome to book a free 15-minute call.
It’s a chance to tell me a little about what’s brought you to therapy, ask any questions you have and see whether I might be the right psychologist for you.