Why Representation Matters in Therapy with Dr. Claudia Gonzalez | GP 173

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How can representation in therapy be one of the vital keys to healing and recovery for a client? Do you speak the language of a client base in your area that is looking for counseling?  Are there other counselors that you can connect with to serve a client niche that needs assistance?

In this podcast episode, LaToya Smith speaks about why representation matters in therapy with Dr. Claudia Gonzalez.

Podcast Sponsor: Blueprint

A photo of the Blueprint podcast sponsor is captured. Blueprint sponsor the Practice of the Practice podcast.

Providing great therapy day after day can be challenging – even for the best of us!

At Blueprint, they believe that nothing should get in the way of you doing your best work, which is why they created a platform that provides therapists with an array of clinical tools – things like therapy worksheets, intervention ideas, and digital assessments – that are designed to help you and your clients can stay connected and confident throughout the care journey. Even better, Blueprint helps streamline your documentation so that you can spend less time on your notes and more time on the things that matter.

To learn more and request a free 30-day trial, visit blueprint-health.com

Meet Dr. Claudia Gonzales

A photo of Claudia Gonzalez, PsyD. is captured. She is a bilingual clinical psychologist and the owner and founder of Goal Mentality Psychotherapy & Medication services. Dr. Claudia is featured on Grow a Group Practice, a therapist podcast.

Claudia Gonzalez, PsyD. is a bilingual clinical psychologist. She is the owner and founder of Goal Mentality Psychotherapy & Medication services, a group private practice where she helps professional women, other therapists, and healthcare providers who feel disconnected, isolated, and burnt-out, create a plan for success in relationships and work life. Dr. G (as most of her clients call her) completed her training at Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals. She is passionate about helping her Latinx community and offering therapy in her native language Spanish.

Visit Goal Mentality and connect on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

In This Podcast

  • Representation in supervision
  • Why representation matters
  • Offering training

Representation in supervision

[There’s a] huge gap for [supervision] in bilingual services and bilingual therapists where we offer the services in Spanish but then all the supervision and training that we get is in English.

Dr. Gonzalez

One of the key areas where representation is lacking and highly needed is supervision. In communities where most clients are bilingual or monolingual in languages apart from English, supervision can become difficult if they only speak English because:

  • The therapist needs to translate everything back and forth between the client and the supervisor
  • The paperwork and notes are doubled
  • There is very little cultural connection

So it’s so important for us to actually get supervision from someone that understands all the cultural nuances and so you don’t have to translate and spend so much time [and] brain power just translating and being the cultural broker.

Dr. Gonzalez

Why representation matters

Representation matters in therapy not only to save time and efficiency, but because clients want to work with therapists that they feel they can relate to, and feel safe around.

Clients will come to those whom they feel they can best connect with … you want somebody who can hear you and listen to you.

LaToya Smith

Often, clients might choose their therapist based on how familiar they feel or whether or not they believe that the therapist will be able to empathize with them and truly understand where they are coming from.

Beyond that familiarity, representation in therapy can be key to offering progress in a client’s therapeutic journey.

Offering training

If you are a bilingual therapist, connect with other therapists! There is a huge need for therapy in languages besides English, and especially for Spanish in America.

My next step is hiring another therapist who’s also bilingual and I love teaching and supervising … and training other bilingual therapists is key, like training them in cultural responsive care.

Dr. Gonzalez

Connect with other private practice owners and solo practitioners to network together and set up a referral system for each other.

Useful links mentioned in this episode:

Check out these additional resources:

Meet LaToya Smith

An image of LaToya Smith is captured. She is a consultant with Practice of the Practice and the owner of LCS Counseling. LaToya is featured on the Practice of the Practice, a therapist podcast.

LaToya is a consultant with Practice of the Practice and the owner of LCS Counseling and Consulting Agency in Fortworth Texas. She firmly believes that people don’t have to remain stuck in their pain or the place they became wounded. In addition to this, LaToya encourages her clients to be active in their treatment and work towards their desired outcomes.

She has also launched Strong Witness which is a platform designed to connect, transform, and heal communities through the power of storytelling.

Visit LaToya’s website. Connect with her on FacebookInstagramStrong Witness Instagram, and Twitter.

Apply to work with LaToya.

Email her at [email protected]