Nana Osei (He/they)

I stand within the interwoven identities as a queer, Black male with roots firmly planted in my second-generation Ghanaian ethnicity. Given the complex nature of these intersections, I enjoy helping others access joy for who they are now and facilitating connection with who they long to be. As a person-centered therapist, my approach is deeply rooted in understanding and responding to your unique needs. I have found that people often find themselves lost in comparison and judgment. This philosophy allows me to tailor our sessions specifically for you, ensuring that they are highly personalized and relevant to your individual journey. Cultural awareness means centering my practice on the formation of a therapeutic relationship built on trust and empathy.

I am currently a second-year master's student in clinical counseling at Northwestern University. As a clinical intern last fall, I worked at The Family Institute mental health clinic, providing therapy for a multitude of diverse, interesting individuals, all with different but equally important needs.

Questions? nana@forrealtherapy.com

INTERVIEW BIO WITH Nana Osei

What issues, struggles and concerns are you drawn to exploring?

I am really into grief work - I find working with clients on grief is not something you can empathize with unless you’ve experienced it yourself. Most people think grief is crying, but once you are in grief, you find that it is anything - Grief can be burned out in a sense. At a time when I thought grief was a weakness, it became a strength because it helped me understand. I never understood how deep grief can be until I was in it myself. I also love to work with queerness and sexual identity discovery. Working on my own personal queerness and internalized homophobia by not being able to accept certain parts of myself due to my upbringing is something I struggled with. I learned how to be honest with myself. Trauma work is something I like to work with because you realize you can redefine your own story and not only heal but process. I am interested in redefining masculinity for men, and not feeling like men have to follow gender norms. I want to help men be open with emotions, I find strength in this type of healing. I take a wounded healer approach in therapy by allowing people to choose how they want to do therapy. I want to give people an experience in therapy because a lot of people don’t have good experiences - They don't feel like they can talk to therapists about things. We need to give people the therapy they deserve. Working with immigrants or second gen folks going through the transition of different cultures in America and being attentive to values whether that is conservative or liberal is also something I am interested in exploring with my clients. This comes from being a second generation Ghanian whose parents were immigrants themselves!

Tell us about what drew you to this field / how does your perspective change as you learn.

I come from an intellectualized family that did not realize as much as I did how mental health is an important part of being able to get where you wanna be. I have gone through my own tribulations identifying as queer (he/they) and building this confidence. People come up to me asking me how I am comfortable with my identity. Everyone should have the right to feel strength in their own identity, it took a while for me to get over my own internalized homophobia. I had to redefine my religion, spirituality and learn to navigate through emotions and confusions. I had privilege because I had parents who were able to afford therapy for me growing up even though it took me advocating for my own mental well-being. Some people grow up in an economic status where they can’t go to therapy, or their families don't believe in therapy. These people don't feel like they have anyone. There are only 4% African American therapists in America. There are so few therapists when cultural identity plays a huge part in therapeutic relationships.

There’s so much emphasis on the struggle and oppression within the Black community - especially when it comes to access to mental health services. What are you optimistic and/or hopeful about regarding the future of Black individuals / Black men?

My journey has come from strong leader figures in my life. In my first year at Northwestern, I met Dr. Smith, who is a queer, Black man - He was my biggest support. When I first came to therapy, I was anxious about being a queer, second generation Black man in the field. Seeing someone who is a man, Black and queer actually in the field has shown me that I can do it. More African American therapists are getting into mental health and are exploring spirituality through roots and culture. We are getting stronger in this field than ever. I find that black men feel understood but are still trying to understand themselves. We need more insight and emotional intelligence within black men to redefine what society thinks of us. Black men gain great strength in the processing of our emotions even when we may feel weak. I find African Americans give themselves less grace by expecting to be a lot, but we also have been through a lot. We need to take grace to accept the struggles we have gone through in history and how that affects us now. This is not a weakness, but a strength.

Tell us about how you create a listening space for folks - Especially those who are coming into therapy for the first time or from cultural perspectives where being heard/listened to might not be emphasized.

I like to bring rocks for my clients to hold, provide them with fidget spinners, and validate my clients. If you need time to speak about things, we don't have to talk about it in the first session. We can build a relationship where you feel safe first. Therapy is for you to find healing and can have an experience where you realize how you should be treated. People often don't get to be seen or heard for things they are asking help for. I do my best to treat people how they deserve to be treated. Therapy can be fun, I don't wanna weigh you down every week - I wanna make you feel like you're making progress and becoming more of who you want to be. I am helping people integrate with themselves than helping them just depersonalize in a sense. One of the biggest things for me is giving clients space. If you wanna be quiet, we can be quiet. If you wanna talk, we can talk. This is the client's session, not mine. I want to help clients feel like they are steering a ship. I never wanna act like I know more about my clients because at the end of day, they know the most about themselves -  I am just there to support whatever goals they have. I try to make people feel safe by opening up, and never judging people. At the end of day, I want clients to feel the strength to move in space. I understand that if you come to a session, and you’re having a hard time talking about stuff, just say that cause that is a big step in itself to finding your peace. Whatever they bring in session is more than enough for me, as long as it is enough for them.

What are you passionate about exploring as a mental health advocate?

Spirituality and how it affects different cultures, in addition to how it strengthens the mind, body and spirit. Helping men redefine masculinity for themselves and being able to communicate and learn that. Helping queer men feel stronger - Just because your queer does not mean you are not any less of a man. Men have trauma and therapy can be the first time they can feel like they are heard, or feel like they aren’t a  burden. I don't see them as a burden, I see the ability to sit in a session with me as great strength to just be there. Sometimes people just need someone that can sit with them and give them space, and sometimes that person is not only your partner.

What is your universal piece of advice?

The wisest are called wise because they know they can always be wiser. I find myself trying to be humble and seeing myself as a beginner no matter my experience. There are so many things going on in life and things we do not understand - We need to have grace to understand that. People are in their 30’s/40’s and feel like they need to have everything figured out. Have grace for yourself always because you never need to be perfect. Just doing your best in the moment is fine!