Mental Health for Marginalized Communities

If you had had asked me eight years ago, when I first started my education, why I wanted to be a Therapist, I might have given you a cookie-cutter answer:

“Because I want to help people.”

I still want to help people. I help people every day, and that’s one of the reasons I love my job. But on a much deeper level than that, I love my job for a variety of reasons.

Reasons I love my job:

I provide mental health services to marginalized communities

I have had many clients I’ve worked with in rural settings who have been unable to find a competent and knowledgeable therapist. I work with members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m a business owner and specialize in helping LGBTQIA+ clients.

I’ve had many clients contact me because they have been unable to find a Therapist that specializes or is even aware of the needs of this community. In addition, I’ve had clients who have had difficulty finding a Therapist that provides gender-affirming letters for Transgender clients to get the care they need.

I’ve had clients that have called more Therapists than I can count on both my hands, looking for someone able to provide them with a letter for life-saving care.

This is simply unacceptable. So while this is one of the frustrating realities of being a Therapist, it makes me happy that these clients found me. I am glad to help be a voice and advocate for these communities.

I provide sliding scale slots

Another unfortunate reality of living in America is that healthcare costs are incredibly high. However, I can provide sliding scale slots to low-income clients who need it, and they are grateful that they don't have to pay tons of money for competent mental health care.

I am happy to provide a limited number of sliding scale slots for those clients in need. They often show up and appreciate the therapeutic process.

I get to be an advocate for change

One thing I love about the mental health profession is that we get to be advocates for change. There are ways we can speak up for and advocate for marginalized communities. For example, we can advocate for changes in healthcare. I love being able to have this voice for underserved communities.

I provide my trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming clients with letters to access gender-affirmative healthcare.

Writing these letters without charging my clients for them provides them a necessary service, and I can advocate for change rather than a gatekeeper.

There are always ways to improve and challenge myself

There are a variety of therapeutic modalities out there. One benefit of being a therapist is that I can constantly challenge myself and grow in the field.

If I need to obtain more education in one area, there is often a training, book, or online course about that area. You can’t ever learn it all. I like the variety of learning different types of therapy or about different types of presenting issues.

Bettering my skills and knowledge as a clinician helps me provide the best care to my clients.

I get to work from home

Starting my private telehealth practice allowed me the freedom to work from home. Working from home has many benefits. I don’t have to drive to an office, deal with traffic or inclement weather. I can better keep with my home, exercise between sessions, and I have more time to prepare ahead of time for the upcoming sessions.

Telehealth allows me to reach a wide variety of clients that I wouldn’t be able to work with in person, and though it has its limitations, the benefits outweigh the burdens.

The best part of working from home is that I have the cutest co-workers. My adorable co-workers are featured below:

I love my job for various reasons, but the number one reason I do what I do is to help people make changes in their life for the better. If I have helped one person achieve their goals, I am happy.