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The entire purpose of mental health therapy is to speak with a qualified professional who is trained to help you interpret your thoughts, your woes, and assist you in finding your way on the right path toward clarity. Sounds logical enough, doesn’t it? While most individuals I asked responded with ‘true,’ or a shoulder shrug ‘guess so’ retort, I am going to insist the contrary. The above statement is absolutely, positively and no doubt about it—false.

I once interviewed a mental health therapist who specialized in Psychoanalysis; let’s call her Thelma the Therapist (simply because it has a nice ring to it). Thelma would proudly declare ad nauseum, the amount of years she had spent in school, how she studied a plethora of psychological theories and wrote all kinds of complex exams. This had inevitably led to her final shining moment: a fancy-shmancy degree hanging on her wall. But just before I give Thelma that rose to pin on her nose, I’d like to point out the one major downfall that Thelma the Therapist has—the very same downfall that makes the above statement false. Thelma didn’t ‘get me.’ Thelma didn’t ‘get my world.’ Thelma most definitely did not understand the impact of culture.

The entire purpose of mental health therapy should really be to speak with a qualified, trained professional who assists you in thought interpretation coupled with culturally sensitive therapy. That doesn’t mean that therapists must agree with your cultural norms, but they absolutely must be respectful of it. After all, how can you fix something that broke when you don’t understand its parts?

Unfortunately, there are numerous Thelmas out there practicing psychoanalysis (or counseling of some sort) who lack this cultural sensitivity. Even in the absence of bad intentions, these Thelmas, quite frankly, are doing more harm than therapy.

Saunia Ahmad, a therapist at York University in Toronto, Canada, provides a culturally sensitive approach to couples therapy through the South Asian Couples Counselling Program, where couples of South Asian background can look to enhance the quality of their marriage. Ahmad founded this project alongside Clinical Psychologist, Dr. David Reid PhD. Both, along with a team of therapists, work to develop ways of assisting Canadian South Asian couples enhance their marriage according to their own values and traditions. This full-fledged counseling service, which is offered to the public, is a much-needed service for an often-overlooked segment of the Canadian community.

BY: JESSICA R. GERA / PUBLISHED: SPRING 2009