BIPOC Therapist in Chicago
Culturally Competent, High-Quality Care
For too long, mental health support systems in the U.S. have lacked diversity—and our BIPOC communities have felt the consequences. When you’re navigating anxiety, trauma, depression, or even just the complexity of daily life, the last thing you should have to do in therapy is explain your identity before you can begin to heal. Yet that’s the reality for so many people of color seeking mental health support.
Serengeti Wellness was founded to rewrite that narrative.
We believe therapy should be a place where you’re not only heard, but deeply understood. For BIPOC communities in Chicago, connecting with a BIPOC therapist isn’t just about convenience or access. It’s about feeling safe. It’s about authenticity. It’s about knowing that your therapist gets the nuances of your lived experience – your culture, your family dynamics, or the daily microaggressions you may endure.
Whether you’re processing generational trauma or simply want to explore your mental health in a way that honors all parts of you, we are here for you. We’re an immigrant-owned, culturally rooted practice that offers therapy grounded in compassion, respect, and real understanding.
Key Takeaways
- BIPOC Therapy Provides a Safe, Affirming Space – Traditional therapy often overlooks the cultural experiences of BIPOC individuals. Therapy provided by members of BIPOC communities ensures your identity, background, and story are understood.
- Representation Matters in Mental Health – Many BIPOC individuals are hesitant to pursue therapy due to a lack of therapists who share their background. According to theAmerican Psychological Association5% of the U.S. psychology workforce is African American, with similarly low numbers for other communities of color. We are committed to increasing representation for people of color in mental health.
- Breaking the Stigma Around Therapy– Mental health stigma in BIPOC communities can prevent people from seeking help. We work hard to provide judgment-free, culturally competent care that respects your unique story.
- Healing Generational and Racial Trauma– Many people of color carry the weight of discrimination, microaggressions and racial trauma. Therapy for BIPOC communities helps unpack these layers, heal from intergenerational wounds, and build coping skills relevant and useful in your everyday life.
- Serengeti Wellness is Here for You – As an immigrant-owned, culturally attuned practice, we provide a supportive space where people of color can feel seen, heard, and understood. Our diverse team of therapists is committed to helping you heal with compassion and authenticity.
Connect With A Therapist Who Gets You
Not sure where to get started? Reach out to us and we’ll discuss your needs and figure out a plan that works your you.
Why Talking About Mental Health in BIPOC Communities Matters
Many therapy approaches were developed with a perspective, often overlooking the impact of racial identity on mental health. Therapy for BIPOC individuals often experience therapy as cold, confusing, or even invalidating. The mental health community at large often falls short in that it doesn’t consider the immense impact of systemic oppression, racial identity, and cultural context.
A lack of cultural resonance in therapy can lead to:
- Misdiagnosis or minimized symptoms
- Advice that ignores systemic oppression
- Difficulty building trust or emotional safety
Mainstream therapy doesn’t always take into account the full picture—for the weight of navigating life in a society that doesn’t always value your voice. Too often, BIPOC clients feel misunderstood or overlooked.
At Serengeti Wellness, We Do Things Differently
Culturally competent BIPOC therapy means your therapist acknowledges the impact of generational trauma, racism, and identity. It often means that your therapist has shared experience as a fellow person of color and your experiences don’t need to be justified or translated. It means your healing is honored on your terms in a safe environment. Our practice was founded with these values in mind.
Therapists Who Understand Cultural Identity and Racial Trauma
Your therapist should see you, not just clinically, but holistically. That’s especially vital when you’re carrying the stress of discrimination, generational pain, or cultural duality.
Therapy for BIPOC individuals should bring essential context to the therapy room. They should understand the language, not just linguistically, but emotionally, spiritually, and culturally. And the result of therapy, where you feel understood? You heal more deeply, more freely, and more authentically.
The Impact of Culturally Competent Therapy on Mental Health
Studies show that when therapy is culturally attuned, clients engage more consistently, build stronger connections with their therapists, and experience greater healing and insight. When you’re not spending energy explaining why something hurts, you can finally begin the work of healing it. Therapy provided by and for members of our African American, Asian American, native American, Hispanic/Latino, and other marginalized communities of color helps increase mental health equity for all.
Representation in Mental Health
Therapy for BIPOC communities has historically not been very accessible or of high quality, as the mental health care provided for white Americans. Despite a growing demand for culturally competent care, only 5% of psychologists in the U.S. are Black, with similarly low numbers for Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian clinicians.
That disparity creates a real, tangible barrier to mental health access in BIPOC communities. It sends a message—whether intentional or not—that mental health care isn’t designed with you in mind.
When We Don’t See Ourselves in the System, We Learn to Be Wary
Historical and ongoing medical racism has left many BIPOC individuals understandably wary of counselors and healthcare in general. Add to that the absence of representation, and it’s no wonder so many people suffer in silence.
But seeing a therapist who looks like you, understands your world, or shares similar roots? That changes everything. It reduces shame. It builds trust. It makes therapy feel like a relationship—not a transaction.
How Serengeti Wellness Is Changing the Landscape
At Serengeti, we’re committed to reshaping what mental health care looks and feels like for people of color. Our practice was founded with the intention of providing high quality, culturally inclusive therapy to help improve the mental health in BIPOC communities all across Chicago.
Our diverse team includes BIPOC therapists who are deeply invested in both your healing and your empowerment. We don’t just want to treat symptoms—we want to honor your story and help you thrive with empathy and expertise.
Breaking the Stigma and Breaking Down Barriers
Redefining Mental Health in BIPOC Communities
Therapy doesn’t mean you’re weak. It doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re human—and you’re choosing to heal. At Serengeti, we normalize therapy as an act of self-care, resistance, and renewal. Our approach is warm, affirming, and deeply human. Because healing should feel like an embrace, not an interrogation.
Navigating Barriers: The Unique Challenges BIPOC Communities Face in Accessing Mental Health Care
Studies show thatBIPOC communities face significant barriers to mental health care, with Black, Hispanic, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous individuals receiving support at much lower rates than needed. These disparities stem from a mix of systemic racism, cultural stigma, limited access to providers, and a shortage of therapists who understand the lived experiences of these communities..
A great BIPOC therapist knows that representation, trust, and cultural awareness are essential to meaningful care. That’s why we founded Serengeti Wellness – to connect the people of color in our community with therapists that share their culturally diverse background. To create a place in the mental health community where your unique experience as a person of color is honored and understood.
Breaking the Stigma Around Mental Health
Mental health in BIPOC communities isn’t generally talked about openly. It’s wrapped in silence, shame, or the idea that therapy is “not for us.” But this silence is costing you your peace, clarity, and future. According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Researchers found that 40% of white individuals in need of mental health care initiated treatment—compared to just 27% of Hispanics and 24% of other American people of color.” That disparity isn’t about a lack of need—it’s about a lack of trust, access, and representation.
Healing Racial and Generational Trauma Through Therapy
The trauma passed down through generations—through stories, silence, and survival—shapes how we love, how we cope, and how we see ourselves. Poor mental health in BIPOC communities is often caused in part by unhealed generational, familial or racial trauma that’s been passed down or around the community. Therapy is one of the most powerful tools we have to process that generational trauma and find freedom and healing.
At Serengeti Wellness, you can connect with a BIPOC Therapist who specializes in trauma recovery methods, including EMDR Therapy. You can read more on our approach to trauma talk therapy here: Trauma Therapy.
Understanding the Weight of Racial Trauma
The microaggressions at work. The fear when walking into certain neighborhoods. The internalized narratives about worth, value, or success when navigating even normal everyday activities. These aren’t isolated moments. They build over time and create what psychologists now call racial battle fatigue—a chronic stress response to systemic racism. Therapy specially made for BIPOC individuals offers a safe space to name that pain, process it, and let it go.
How Culturally Competent Therapy Supports Collective and Personal Healing
Mental health care in BIPOC communitiesshould foster deeper healing that honors identity, experience, and community. Therapy that acknowledges cultural context and systemic pressure can lead to more meaningful and lasting change.
Our therapists are trained to gently uncover the layers of generational trauma and societal conditioning that often go unnamed. We help our clients:
Recognize how racial trauma shows up in relationships, daily behaviors, and the body, often in ways they may not have been taught to see.
Build sustainable tools to manage stress, discrimination, and burnout while honoring their capacity and boundaries.
Unlearn and rewrite harmful narratives passed down through family, culture, or systems that have taught them to shrink or stay silent.
This isn’t just about treating symptoms—it’s about reclaiming voice, restoring connection, and living more fully. We hold space for that kind of healing—grounded in compassion, cultural awareness, and the belief that liberation begins within.
The Serengeti Wellness Approach: Therapy That Honors Your Story
Our name says it all. Serengeti Wellness is inspired by the vastness, strength, and layered beauty of the African Serengeti—a land shaped by movement, survival, and connection. It’s a place where resilience is woven into every inch of the landscape, and that same spirit is what we bring into the therapy room. Whether you’re navigating generational trauma, daily stressors, or simply looking to feel more grounded, we’re here to walk alongside you with care and intention.
What Makes Our Approach Different
We blend evidence-based modalities like EMDRand CBT with a grounded understanding of the cultural, racial, and systemic dynamics that impact mental health in BIPOC communities. We know that healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why every client receives a personalized, culturally attuned approach that reflects their story, identity, and values. So if you’ve been searching for a BIPOC therapist near me who truly gets it, you’re in the right place.
What You Can Expect from Us
Meet Our Team of BIPOC Therapists​
Finding the right therapistis deeply personal—and for clients who are people of color, it can be especially challenging. That’s why we’ve built a team with intentional diversity and cultural awareness at its core. Each one brings a unique perspective and a shared commitment to culturally rooted healing.
Our Therapy Services
We believe that therapy isn’t just treatment—it’s a relationship rooted in trust, cultural attunement, and healing intention. Every service we offer is grounded in both psychological depth and cultural humility, designed to support your emotional well-being in ways that truly reflect your lived experience.
Therapy for BIPOC Individuals
Mental health is not separate from identity. The way we feel, think, and move through the world is shaped by our cultural background, family dynamics, racial identity, and generational stories. At Serengeti Wellness, you can work with a BIPOC therapist that creates a safe space where all of that matters.
This is a place to unpack how race, culture, community, and even survival have impacted your mental well-being. We have created a BIPOC therapy practice built to affirm who you are and the complexity of your lived experience.
EMDR Therapy for Trauma and PTSD
Trauma doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Sometimes it hides in the body, in muscle tension, in emotional numbing, in moments when your nervous system says “I’m not safe,” even when you know you are.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapyis a powerful, evidence-based approach that helps access and release trauma stored in the nervous system. We use EMDR to help clients safely revisit distressing experiences and reduce the emotional charge they carry—whether rooted in racial violence, childhood experiences, intergenerational trauma, or social justice.
CBT for Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depressiondon’t happen in a vacuum. They’re often responses to long-standing patterns, distorted narratives, or systems that were never built for you in the first place.
Our culturally grounded approach to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you identify those thought patterns that no longer serve you—whether they stem from self-doubt, systemic oppression, or generational conditioning—and reshape them with honesty, clarity, and intention.
Individual Therapy
Therapy for BIPOC Individuals– It’s your time, your story, and your journey. This is where we sit with the full picture of who you are. Your strengths, your struggles, your story—and begin to unpack what healing could look like.
We can help you work through emotional pain and loneliness, manage stress, build stronger boundaries, or explore parts of yourself that have been hidden or silenced. We’re here to support that exploration and will help you build a plan for healing and a happier, more fulfilling life.
Couples Therapy
Relationships require more than love—they require presence, communication, and a shared commitment to growth. For BIPOC couples, that often means navigating additional layers of complexity: family expectations, intergenerational patterns, cultural clashes, racial discrimination and systemic stress. Work with a BIPOC therapistwho can help you heal your relationship with cultural context and expertise!
Couples therapyoffers a nonjudgmental environment to slow down and reconnect. Whether you’re facing recurring conflict, struggling with intimacy, or learning how to honor your cultural values within your relationship, we support you in finding clarity and compassion together.
Our team is here to walk with you—no matter where you’re starting from, no matter what you’re carrying. We’re not here to tell you what healing should look like. We’re here to help you define it for yourself.
Immigration Therapy
The immigration journey is layered with courage, sacrifice, and profound emotional impact. Whether you’ve crossed borders physically, generationally, or emotionally, the effects of that transition live in your body and your story.
Our immigration therapy servicesare designed to support individuals navigating the mental and emotional toll of immigration-related stress. We help clients process identity loss, what cultural assimilation looks like for you, separation from family, legal stress, cultural dislocation, and the often-invisible grief that comes with building a life between two worlds. Our BIPOC therapists are deeply attuned to the psychological complexities of migration and offer a space where your experience is validated and honored.
Transformation Begins When Your Story Is Honored
We understand that healing begins the moment you no longer have to explain yourself just to be understood on a basic level. Therapy should honor your full identity—your culture, your history, your grief, your joy—is welcomed, not questioned or misunderstood. We’ve created a practice where BIPOC individuals can explore mental health in a space that feels safe, affirming, and deeply rooted in lived experience. Whether you’re processing racial trauma, navigating life transitions, or simply looking to reconnect with yourself, we’re here to honor the complexity of your story.
You don’t have to carry it all alone. Our teamof culturally responsive therapists is here to support your healing on your terms. If you’ve been looking for a BIPOC therapist who sees you—not just clinically, but holistically—we invite you to take that first step. When you’re ready, we’re here to walk alongside you.