How to Find a Therapist Who Truly Supports You and Collective Liberation

Learn how to find a therapist who affirms your identity, honors your lived experience, and supports collective healing and liberation. Explore our directory.

Searching for a therapist can be overwhelming—especially when the mental health system has overlooked, harmed, or dismissed you. If you’ve ever struggled to find a therapist who truly understands your lived experience, or if you’ve been harmed by providers in the past, it makes sense to feel hesitant. You deserve care that affirms your identity, meets your needs, and helps you heal—without judgment or harm.

For People of the Global Majority (PGM), Two-Spirit, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and disabled folks, navigating the mental health system often means facing systemic barriers rather than finding genuine support. Too many providers minimize the impact of oppression, reinforce these systems, or cause direct harm. This can show up as:

Therapists who don’t acknowledge white supremacy, colonialism, queerphobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or ableism OR perpetuate their harm.
Providers who push a diagnosis or medication without understanding how both have been used to control and harm Black, Brown, Indigenous, trans, queer, and disabled folks.
Mental health models that prioritize compliance over autonomy and healing.

Finding a justice-centered therapist that’s a good fit for you is possible and can be an integral part of your healing journey. This guide explores the steps to find a therapist who sees and affirms you and your lived experiences, AND works to dismantle systems that cause harm.

Why Finding the Right Therapist Matters

Not all therapists are trained to provide trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and affirming care. Many providers work within traditional Western psychiatric models that dismiss or pathologize the impact of racism, colonialism, ableism, capitalism, and other systemic injustices. This can lead to:

Misdiagnosis and overmedication of People of the Global Majority, disabled, individuals, and trauma survivors.
Dismissal of trauma caused by police violence, medical neglect, anti-immigrant policies, colonialism, and carceral mental healthcare.
Harmful assumptions about gender, sexuality, disability, neurodiversity, chronic illness, and cultural identity.

You deserve a therapist who understands the realities of oppression and works to dismantle harm—not one who upholds it. Finding a therapist who understands these realities can help you access healing that is liberatory, validating, and truly transformative.

Step 1: Identify What You Want or Need in a Therapist

Before starting your search, take time to reflect on your needs. You don’t have to have all the answers, but these questions can help you clarify what matters most:

What aspect of your life or concern do you need support for right now? (e.g., trauma, anxiety, identity, gender exploration, chronic illness, substance use, burnout)
Do you prefer a therapist who shares aspects of your identity? (e.g., PGM, trans, disabled, trauma survivor, neurodivergent)
Are there specific therapy approaches you’re drawn to? (e.g., somatic therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, harm reduction, Indigenous or cultural healing practices)
Do you want a therapist who actively resists carceral and white supremacist models of mental health?
Do you want a therapist you can see in person or online?
Do you need sliding-scale options or a therapist who takes your insurance?

You are the expert on your own healing. Naming your needs can help you find a therapist who truly supports you.

Step 2: Where to Search for a Therapist

When thinking about how to find a therapist, look in spaces that center anti-oppressive and justice-oriented care, such as directories or social justice organizations. Places to search for a therapist include:

1. Therapy Directories

LWN’s Free Directory – A global network of therapists, coaches, and healers providing liberatory, anti-carceral, and justice-centered care.
Inclusive Therapy Directories – Websites like Therapy for Black Girls, Inclusive Therapists, Latinx Therapy, National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, and Equitable Care Certification Provider Directory focus on connecting historically oppressed communities with affirming providers.

2. Your Community

If you feel comfortable, try asking friends, loved ones, or other community members (activist group or online group) if they know of therapists they trust in your area.

3. Social Media

Many therapists share their approach on Instagram or TikTok. Try search terms like “[your city] + therapist” or “[your state] + therapist. This is also a way to gauge if a provider is vocal about social justice issues and dismantling systems of oppression like white supremacy, ableism, or transphobia.

Step 3: Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist

Once you find a few therapists who seem like a good fit, the next step is reaching out and asking questions to ensure they align with your needs. Most therapists offer a free consultation so that you can ask them questions and discuss your needs. Below are possible questions you can ask therapists when determining if they’re a good fit for you:

Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist

What is your experience working with people of my background and identity?
How do you incorporate abolition into your practice?
What is your approach to supporting folks who’ve experienced trauma and systemic harm?
How do you support clients who have experienced medical racism, police violence, or psychiatric institutionalization?
How is your practice neurodiversity-affirming/neuro-inclusive?
What therapy approaches do you use?
What do you do to work against anti-Blackness, white supremacy, and colonialism within your practice?
What do you do to work against queerphobia and transphobia within your practice?
What do you do to work against xenophobia within your practice?
How do you make your practice and therapy accessible?
How do you approach clients disclosing suicidal ideation?
Do you offer sliding-scale or flexible payment options?

A therapist who is the right fit will answer these questions with care, openness, and a willingness to meet your needs.

Step 4: Recognizing Red Flags in a Therapist

A therapist who is the right fit will answer these questions with care, openness, and a willingness to meet your needs.

Minimizing or dismissing oppression (“Race doesn’t factor in here.”)
Dismissing your concerns or questioning if oppression is “real” or relevant.
Pushing medication or diagnosis and a lack of understanding systemic harm.
Centering themselves instead of listening to you.
Positioning themselves as the expert over your lived experience or cultural wisdom.
Pathologizing trauma and stress responses to white supremacy, capitalism, ableism, queerphobia, transphobia, and xenophobia.

If a therapist makes you feel unheard or unsafe, you do not have to stay. You deserve care that is safe and supportive with a provider who is committed to collective liberation for all.

Step 5: It’s Okay to Try Different Therapists

Many people feel like they have to “stick it out” with a therapist, even if it’s not a good fit. But therapy is a relationship—and sometimes, you need to try multiple therapists before finding the right one.

It’s common to:

Feel nervous about the first session.
Worry about whether you’re saying the “right” things.
Take a few sessions to decide if the therapist is the right match.
Realize after a few meetings that you need someone different.

Therapists are not one-size-fits-all. If something isn’t working, it’s okay to keep searching.

Step 6: Trust Yourself in the Process

The most important thing when you’re figuring out how to find a therapist is trusting your own instincts. When speaking with a therapist if you feel:

Seen and heard
Respected in your full identity
Supported without judgment
Encouraged to explore healing on your terms

Then they might be a good fit. If not, keep looking. You deserve care that aligns with you.

Find a Therapist Who Honors Your Healing

At LWN, we believe mental healthcare should be affirming and rooted in justice. If you’re trying to find a therapist, we’re a great place to start. Explore our free mental health provider directory to connect with practitioners and healers who are committed to anti-carceral, anti-oppressive, liberation-based care.