By Yana Shenker, LCSW-R
Founder, Resilient Mind Psychotherapy
For immigrants and first-generation families, mental health concerns often exist quietly beneath the surface. The stress of adapting to a new culture, navigating language barriers, supporting family members across borders, and balancing multiple identities can be overwhelming, yet many people hesitate to seek therapy due to stigma, cost concerns, or fear of not being understood.
At Resilient Mind Psychotherapy, we provide culturally responsive therapy designed specifically for immigrants and first-generation individuals living in Brooklyn. We also work with major insurance plans, including Cigna therapists options and therapists accepting Aetna, helping reduce financial barriers to care.
Why Immigrants and First-Generation Families Face Unique Mental Health Challenges
Immigration, whether recent or generational, comes with layers of emotional complexity that standard therapy approaches may overlook. Many individuals carry:
Chronic stress related to documentation, employment, or financial pressure
Cultural expectations around sacrifice, obedience, or emotional restraint
Guilt about leaving family members behind
Intergenerational conflict between parents and children raised in different cultural norms
Anxiety about belonging, identity, and acceptance
First-generation children often experience pressure to succeed academically or professionally while serving as translators, caregivers, or cultural bridges for their families. These roles can create emotional burnout, anxiety, or feelings of isolation that persist well into adulthood.
What Culturally Responsive Therapy Really Means
Culturally responsive therapy goes beyond surface-level cultural awareness. It means understanding how culture, immigration history, religion, family structure, and systemic stressors shape emotional experiences.
Our therapists take time to understand:
Your cultural background and values
Family dynamics and expectations
The impact of acculturation and identity conflict
Experiences of discrimination or marginalization
We do not pathologize cultural norms or minimize the realities of immigrant life. Instead, therapy becomes a space where your experiences are validated, contextualized, and worked through with respect.
Common Issues We Support in Immigrant & First-Generation Therapy
Therapy can help address a wide range of concerns, including:
Anxiety and chronic worry
Depression linked to isolation or unprocessed loss
Trauma related to migration, displacement, or past instability
Family conflict between parents and children
Identity confusion and cultural dissonance
Burnout from high expectations and responsibility
Many clients seek therapy not because something is “wrong,” but because they feel emotionally exhausted from carrying too much for too long.
Therapy as a Bridge Between Generations
In first-generation families, mental health struggles often go unspoken. Parents may believe emotional hardship is something to endure rather than address. Children, meanwhile, may struggle to express boundaries without guilt or fear of disrespect.
Therapy provides a neutral, supportive environment to:
Improve communication across generations
Address cultural misunderstandings with compassion
Reduce shame around emotional expression
Strengthen family relationships without abandoning cultural values
This is especially important in multicultural households where different belief systems coexist.
Overcoming Stigma Around Therapy
In many cultures, therapy is misunderstood or associated with weakness. One of the most powerful aspects of therapy for immigrants and first-generation families is reframing mental health support as strength, not failure.
Seeking therapy does not mean rejecting your culture or family it means learning how to care for yourself while honoring where you come from. Many clients find relief simply in being heard without judgment, often for the first time.
Using Insurance for Therapy in Brooklyn
Access to care should not be complicated or intimidating. Our team helps clients understand and use their insurance benefits, including Cigna, Aetna, Fidelis Care and 1199SEIU insurance plans.
We handle benefit verification and explain coverage clearly, so you know what to expect before starting. This allows you to focus on your mental health, not paperwork or uncertainty.
A Safe, Inclusive Space to Be Yourself
Our Brooklyn-based practice serves individuals, teens, and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Therapy sessions are private, supportive, and paced according to your comfort level.
Whether you are a recent immigrant adjusting to life in the U.S. or a first-generation adult navigating identity, family expectations, and emotional well-being, therapy can help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
Start Therapy Without Giving Up Who You Are
You do not have to choose between your mental health and your cultural identity. Therapy can honor both.
At Resilient Mind Psychotherapy, we meet you where you are culturally, emotionally, and practically and support you in building resilience, balance, and self-understanding.