By Suhani Dalal, South Seattle Emerald, November 11, 2020
Since the start of the global pandemic, one Seattle therapist said that roughly 90% of her new clients are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC), compared to before, when about 70% were white.
“There are so many people coming into therapy for their first time — first in their family, first in their history,” said Asian American psychotherapist and codependency therapist Ivy Kwong. “I always tell them: ‘I’m so grateful you’re doing this work, it’s not easy, but it’s the most important work I believe you can do in this lifetime. The work you are doing [honors] your entire lineage because it will heal past and future generations.’”
With COVID-19 severely impacting Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, coupled with the increased visibility of institutionalized inequities and murder of Black individuals, the mental health of BIPOC is especially vulnerable in this moment. Intersectional therapists in the Seattle area are focusing on healing these communities, as more BIPOC are seeking therapy and counseling to navigate their identities in a country stained by systemic racism.
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