US born South Asian American women hesitate to seek mental health support because of stigma, guilt, and lack of understanding of how therapy can be helpful. This has lead to high rates of suicidal thinking amongst South Asian American women, both young and old. Mental health therapy can be beneficial to US born South Asian American women by improving hopefulness, decreasing guilt, and increasing ability to cope with life’s stressors.

A look at the therapist-client relationship and how we need to dismantle colonial and oppressive practices.

Finding a therapist is hard. Period. But for those of us who identify as BIPOC, we have some added layers of difficulty. In a world where most mental and behavioral health providers are heterosexual white women and men, we find ourselves in a situation where our therapist most likely has a very different experience of the world than we do.

There is a ton of pressure placed on many of us to understand, acknowledge, and embody our Indian origin; however, our migration story has been glossed over. Indians have been spreading roots all over the world for at least the past 300 years. Yet, how many of us have felt tested and judged around being "Indian enough"? It’s important for us to celebrate the history of the Indian Diaspora, so our community can fully accept, normalize, and integrate biculturalism into our Indian American societies.

I'm Meena Statz, a mental health therapist based in Raleigh, North Carolina, serving clients state-wide in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

As a therapist, coach, and wellness provider; I believe that social justice is critical, and am dedicated to promoting racial equality and creating safe spaces for those who identify as LGBTQA. I also specialize in working with Second Generation Immigrants of Asian descent and African American women. I actively work towards creating a decolonized practice that addresses inequalities in the mental health system, as well as privilege in the provider-client relationship.