Our Position

For Real Therapy is rooted in the belief that therapy is a political act -- where resilience and rest are supported simultaneously. It is a practice for people who recognize the ripple effect of their impact on the world at large, and why it is integral to commit to the work of intentional self-healing to relate to yourself so you can best relate to others.

Our Ecosystem

As a Black established therapy practice, we differ from many of our colleagues and counterparts because of our perspective and lived experience. For Real Therapy is an alternative to a form of avoidance that exists within the mental health community -- one that inherently and at worst willfully ignores cultural difference + context. In a field that is dominated by 86% white clinicians, we exist to counteract that number and show up for clients who need to be seen rather than just perceived.

Our Values + Promises

By incorporating transformative justice into our practice, we view therapy as an act of solidarity, trust and collaboration. There is confidence in not knowing + the willingness to unlearn. We believe that the acknowledgment of your privilege is an opportunity to engage the wholeness of your life consciously. In order to truly actualize transformation, we need to practice accountability, vulnerability and trust. This is deeply ingrained in the work we do with our clients not just for the sake of themselves, but for the sake of humanity as a whole.

Consent is an active and engaging process. Part of the ways we practice it are asking direct questions and volunteering information as transparently as we can about our own cultural identities. For example, if we are working with a cisgender woman client, we ask her if it's OK to be working with a therapist who is a cisgender man. If there is ever a time where it feels uncomfortable, or we are genuinely missing the point, we ask that we make space to talk about it. We make sure that we have referrals, supports, and other community guard rails in place. Mindfulness teaches us that context is always shifting.

We recognize it is impossible to eliminate harm completely, but we will always make sure that we are reducing the harm being done in a vulnerable space like therapy by practicing accountability and consent. We will check in with you throughout sessions to make sure you are feeling secure and comfortable, as well as work through the difficult feelings that come up when we find ourselves in spaces we promised ourselves we’d never end up in again. We are here to work with you and to do our best to protect you in the process.

Our Approach

We believe manifesting a “safer” therapy space requires creating conditions where people feel protected, where they can authentically speak from their heart and truth without being judged or lectured, where they always feel like they have the option to stay or leave. This space that we create is in itself an ongoing conversation of consent, it is a continuous check-in with our needs and it is also a way to engage people in ways that allow them to foster realistic progress by actually practicing therapy.

As a result of significant socioeconomic disadvantage and a shortage of culturally representative clinicians, our BIPOC community severely lacks access to healing. Without adequate cultural representation in mental health and beyond, there is insufficient modeling of how BIPOC individuals can remain vulnerable, engaged, and authentic.

We approach therapy from an anti-racist intersectional feminist lens and are devoted to making therapy accessible to the best of our ability. We explore with our clients that the world out there is not neutral, passive, or beyond reproach. We are all active agents in the system, and all have our unique roles to play in grasping for a better world.