Why DEIB Matters in the Therapy Room

(And Why It Should Matter Everywhere)

Therapy is, at its core, a space for truth. A place where we’re invited to be fully ourselves - messy, tender, brave, uncertain. But for too many people, therapy hasn’t always felt safe or accessible. It hasn’t always felt like a place where all identities, stories, or ways of being are truly welcomed. That’s why Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) aren’t just buzzwords. They’re essential to ethical, attuned, and transformative care.

Diversity: Every Story Deserves a Seat at the Table

Each of us brings a unique mix of identities into the room - race, culture, gender, sexuality, language, faith, ability, class, and more. When therapy honors this diversity, it becomes a space where clients don’t have to leave parts of themselves at the door. They can speak freely, show up fully, and feel deeply seen. Not just as individuals, but as people shaped by broader systems and histories.

Equity: Access and Justice in Healing

Equity asks us to look beyond “equal treatment” and instead ask: What does each person need in order to truly thrive? In therapy, that might mean offering sliding scale rates, understanding how trauma is experienced differently across communities, or naming the ways systemic oppression impacts mental health. It means dismantling the idea that therapy is one-size-fits-all and actively working toward care that’s responsive, just, and inclusive.

Inclusion: Being Invited In

It’s one thing to be present - it’s another to feel included. Inclusion in therapy means creating an environment where you don’t have to explain or defend your identity. It means doing our own work as clinicians to unlearn biases, check our assumptions, and cultivate cultural humility. Inclusion is about listening more than we speak, and making room for complexity, contradiction, and nuance.

Belonging: The Heart of Healing

Belonging is what happens when diversity, equity, and inclusion take root. It’s that moment when a client exhales when they feel safe, accepted, and understood not in spite of who they are, but because of who they are. In therapy, belonging allows people to not just survive, but to explore, expand, and reclaim their stories.

This Work Is Ongoing

As a therapist, I’m committed to creating a space where all clients - especially those from marginalized and underrepresented communities - feel seen, respected, and supported. DEIB isn’t a checkbox. It’s a lifelong practice of learning, unlearning, and staying accountable to the communities we serve.

Therapy should never be a place where you feel like you have to shrink. It should be a place where you expand. Where your full humanity is welcomed, affirmed, and honored.

Book A Consult