Meghan’s Trauma is Real: Why We Need Culturally Competent Therapy

by Myra McNair, owner and founder of Anesis Family Therapy, marriage and family therapist and trauma specialist

Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey have a one-on-one conversation in the upcoming special, Oprah with Meghan and Harry. [Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese]

In the days following Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle about how the British Royal family treated the biracial American Duchess and her baby, some well-known mental health experts weighed in. Several of them said what Meghan experienced was stressful, but didn’t meet the clinical definition of trauma.

This point of view is common in my field, but any BIPOC person who heard what Meghan said knows the reverse is true. We recognize racial trauma when we see it, because we’ve experienced it, too. We know what it is to feel unsafe, to always be on your guard and to be uncertain about your future.

Racial trauma is real, even if many others in my profession don’t acknowledge it. It has cumulative effects on mental and physical health and starts at a young age, when children learn from society that being white is the perceived ideal. It happens over and over again throughout people’s lives. If therapists and mental health professionals don’t recognize racial trauma when they see it, our clients won’t get treatment that works for them. And in some cases, it could make things worse. Unfortunately, there are people in my field who don’t understand race and culture and some may even have negative beliefs or hold certain stereotypes. It’s daunting for a person of color to have to go into a therapy session and not know if their clinician is culturally competent.

When I first launched my private practice that grew into what Anesis is today, I was quickly flooded with BIPOC clients seeking mental health treatment for the first time. They ranged from an ER doctor to a struggling single mother. Some traveled from as far away as Janesville and Chicago for their appointments. Many of these sessions revolved around topics of racism and racial trauma (whether it be from the workplace or the oppressive systems we are forced to navigate everyday). Others were focused on spirituality and living in blended, transracial and interracial households. There were not many Black mental health therapists to choose from, and it was clear that people were eager to work with someone who understood their experiences. 

Today, Anesis serves about 600 active clients and we have around 40 staff members who are mostly BIPOC. From the moment people come through our doors — or into our virtual space — we strive to meet them where they are. We ask clients if they have a preferred faith background for their therapist, because we believe they should not have to spend time teaching someone why their faith is important to them. We also make every effort to pair clients with a therapist who speaks their home language, because we know that is the only way that they can authentically express their feelings and emotions. Some of our clinicians speak Spanish and Hmong, and one of our staffers speaks five languages. We put culture at the forefront of everything we do.

April is Stress Awareness Month, which is a good time to think about the additional stress BIPOC people live with day to day. We all face systemic racism, but we also understand that we’re not a monolith and we all have different experiences as we move through the world. When clients come to Anesis, they’re safe to be who they are.