Culturally Sensitive Therapy

Kinship Counseling Collective believes each individual has a unique cultural identity and background that shapes their experiences and perspectives. Kinship is driven by our commitment to offer our clients culturally responsive and anti-oppressive therapy, empowering all of us to challenge and resist oppressive systems and work toward social justice.At Kinship, we value access and ease of finding excellent therapists of color. We wanted to support an increase in access through online therapy.

John has extensive education and clinical experience working with diverse populations.

As a bicultural/bilingual therapist, I am attuned to the profound impact of my clients‘ cultural background on their communication.

I think it will be most meaningful to include a real patient review: “Dr. Ambardar has tremendous insight into personal & collective trauma & the impact of ancestral trauma on a person's life. It is not often you come across a professional who has an in-depth understanding of collective trauma & its impact on an individual's life. Her work & her insights have been supportive in my own healing journey. I highly recommend anyone wanting to connect with their ancestral histories to work with Dr. A"

Each person on staff receives training in this area multiple times a year. Culture sensitivity is also part of our mission.

Culture plays a large role in how we express ourselves, how we are viewed by others, and how we experience our every day life.

To be culturally sensitive is to practice cultural humility with respect and genuine interest. I love learning about the many different cultures and subcultures of people I meet, including my clients, but I do not expect my clients to have to explain who they are or where they come from. I offer a safe space to be vulnerable and to share experiences, feelings, hopes, and dreams for people from all backgrounds and identities.

In a culturally responsive and humble approach, I work to bring all aspects of your identity as strengths in the counseling environment. I believe that when we are in touch with all aspects of our identity, we are better able to proactively address the challenges that are facing us.

Our clinic prides itself on uplifting clients who come from under-served communities. We respect the intersectionality inherent in all of us and treat the whole client in context. In addition, we mindfully employ clinicians from multiple gender, cultural, and disability backgrounds.

I am a woman of color, who is open and available to speak about racial injustice and disparity in the United States and globally. I am a 3rd generation (Mexican) American-Latinx

We strive to provide culturally responsive and affirming services that are sensitive to the unique needs and challenges faced by marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and to gender, sexuality or relationship minorities. In our clinical work, we utilize an intersectional, culturally-grounded approach to understand dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression that have shaped our clients identities and lived experiences.

You are the subject matter expert on your culture & identity. Setting treatment goals is collaborative and we integrate your background, beliefs, values, and identity into therapy. You provide the context to inform the interventions customized just for you. As a result our trust develops rapidly because we skip the assumptions, avoid misunderstandings and you feel comfortable. This modality leads to more sustainable treatment outcomes.

Well versed in multiple cultural contexts. Place client culture center to interventions. Receptive and Open to feedback.

Since most of my clients are BIPOC, being culturally sensitive and utilizing culturally sensitive thearpy is important in helping my clients feel safe, heard, and build trust with me. A large part of my practice is explaining the processes of therapy to my clients as it is their first time becoming vulnerable with a mental healthcare provide and trusting them.

I believe that understanding how sociocultural, systemic, and institutional forces influence the ways that you traverse this world. Examining such contexts can facilitate the harnessing of your internal wisdom as well as become more connected to your collective and ancestral experiences.

Many of the clients who see me experience identity issues or trauma symptoms related to racially based or intergenerational traumas. My professional training and experience as an activist and advocate spanning decades underlies much of my focus on racial and social justice. I'm particularly attuned to issues of "difference" among those whose experiences do not reflect dominant thinking regardless of whether that experience reflects marginalization: Mixed-race, interracial and multicultural.

Ethical counseling is necessarily multicultural and culturally sensitive. I tailor sessions to your unique cultural background, including your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and language of origin. I have lived and worked in several countries, having spent most of my career in Latin America. I provide fully bilingual services in English and Spanish, and also speak French and Italian.

As a multicultural person, providing a space that is not only trauma-informed, but culturally sensitive is vital to me as a mental health professional. I believe therapy not only should be culturally-sensitive, but creative in the ways we reach clients to make therapy accessible, meaningful, and impactful. While providing this space and expertise, I keep in mind I am not an expert on everyone's culture, while building a connective relationship where the full you can show up at your pace.