Why is this research important?
My aim with this study is to better understand what matters to people when choosing a therapist.
While we know a great deal about what happens once therapy begins, we know much less about the experience of finding a therapist in the first place. There could be a number of things that we think about like identity, culture, location, cost, availability, trust and connection, to name just a few.
This study is focusing on the experience of racially minoritised communities. Why? Because these voices have too often been underrepresented in research. Yet understanding the experiences of people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds is essential if we want counselling and psychotherapy to become more inclusive and responsive to the needs of the communities it serves.
By listening to people's lived experiences, I hope this research will contribute to important conversations about how therapy can become more inclusive, culturally responsive and accessible for everyone.
This is where you come in. Your experiences, perspectives and reflections can make a meaningful contribution to this study.
About me
- I am part of the Latin-American community.
- I am a qualified and practising counsellor, studying for my Masters in Science at the University of East London.
- I am particularly interested in how people from racially minoritised communities experience searching for therapy and navigating questions of cultural understanding, safety, and connection within counselling spaces.