Diversity in Mental Health Treatment

A Therapist Profile from The Women’s Center: Drawing Upon a Wealth of Experiences and Backgrounds

As part of a continuing series profiling the many talented therapists at The Women’s Center, this month’s blog post features an interview with Andrew Hays. As an openly transgender man, Andrew talks about his experiences, highlighting the value of having a group of clinicians with a diversity of backgrounds in order to better serve the community.

What influenced you to become a therapist and how did you end up working at The Women’s Center? 

When I was in high school, I read the book “Dibs in Search of Self” by a clinical psychologist named Virginia M. Axline. It is a true story about a boy who makes an incredible developmental journey. At the beginning of the book, the child, named Dibs, seems nearly unreachable. But thanks to his doctor and what was then a pioneering therapy method known as “play therapy”, Dibs evolves from a child who feels extremely isolated and frustrated to one who is able to express himself, cope with feelings and thrive.

Looking back, the story really resonated with me. Reading it and other similar books got me interested in psychology and in helping others. I got into social work and I recently became a licensed therapist at The Women’s Center.

 As a therapist at The Women’s Center, why do diversity and representation matter? 

One of the reasons why I appreciate working at The Women’s Center is The Center’s commitment to improving access to quality mental health care for ALL members of our community. I strongly believe that a diversified clinical team is critical to providing a broad base of clients with the help they’re looking for.

The Women’s Center continues to hire therapists with diverse backgrounds and specialties. We have clinicians of varying races, ethnicities, and cultures. We have bilingual staff. We have clinicians of different ages and genders. The Center has therapists and staff, like myself, who belong to the LGBTQIA+ communities. We have clinicians who have struggled with mental health challenges themselves. Our diversity and breadth of experience help us deliver better care to the clients we serve.  

 How have your experiences with LGBTQIA+ communities helped you as a therapist?   

Despite the disproportionately higher rate at which some minority groups have experienced adverse mental health challenges, the mental health workforce is still catching up in terms of diversity. That’s one of the reasons why I’m proud to be able to represent my experiences with the LGBTQIA+ communities. Obviously, me being transgender isn’t my defining value as a therapist, and it’s most often not even a factor. But, sometimes it does help in terms of clients feeling like they can relate.

 Can you give an example of how The Women’s Center is continually improving in order to serve a broader, more diverse community?   

In addition to the one-on-one therapy sessions, I’m really proud of a group that I’m personally helping manage and continuing to expand. It’s a program called “Building Connections.” The Women’s Center curates a number of therapy groups to help individuals connect and grow.  With these groups, we unite people with similar experiences and help them share and receive perspectives. There are a lot of individuals, who used to feel isolated, and we are now connecting with others with similar backgrounds.

 Do you believe that all clients need to find a therapist who shares their exact background and life experiences? 

Absolutely not – People can have very successful counseling and experiences with therapists who do not share exactly similar backgrounds or life experiences. Even as a transgender person, it is important to note that we’re as diverse a group as any other – full of different life stories, perspectives, and beliefs.

However, as we cast a wider net, in this case by hiring a diverse staff and clinicians, we can draw from a richer set of experiences and help more people.

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 Learn more or make an appointment 

The Women’s Center is dedicated to addressing the diverse needs of all people through counseling, career, mediation, financial, and domestic violence and sexual assault services.   Learn more or make an appointment.

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