55 percent of people say personality fit is the most important factor to them in selecting a mental health professional, according to a Reya market research survey, but what does that mean exactly? Many therapy-seekers consider logistical factors like cost, location, and availability when selecting their therapist, but it’s clear that this concept of “fit” is paramount. Since Reya is in the business of matching people with great therapists, with the goal of helping facilitate supportive and productive therapeutic relationships, we have spent a long time (like, 2 years) digging further into this idea.
What does “Fit” mean?
80 percent of folks in our survey said it was important to them that their therapist share some aspect of their identity. In conversations with Reya subscribers and early users in combination with survey research, we have found that gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and religion are the chief components of identity that therapy-seekers are looking to match in their mental health provider. Of course, “fit” is a pretty abstract concept — encompassing personality type, clinical approach, and other factors — but it’s clear that identity matching is crucial for many people.
Why does identity matter?
Therapy is an incredibly personal, vulnerable process. Often, folks in therapy are discussing some of the most intimate aspects of their personal life with a provider who they are just establishing a relationship with. It’s important that the client and the therapist create trust and productive communication patterns in order to help the client work through challenges — a level of comfort that can be a bit easier to establish with a provider who shares some aspect of the client’s identity or background.
Several academic research studies have shown that ethnic minorities are offered psychotherapy less frequently than European Americans, and tend to end treatment earlier as well — possibly because some may not be totally comfortable with their therapist. This leads many Black, Indigenous, and other people of color to prioritize identity matching when they look for a therapist. As one Reya subscriber put it,
“I’m prioritizing finding a therapist whose background reflects my own. A Black therapist is more likely to empathize with aspects of the Black American experience that are relevant to my mental health care.”
— Alyssa, Reya subscriber
Some LGBTQ+ individuals similarly want their provider to share that aspect of their experience. An early Reya user shared her thoughts on this, saying:
“It was important to me to have a therapist who understood firsthand queerness and queer culture. I wanted someone who also inhabited both worlds that I live in: gay and straight.”
— Maggie, early Reya user
To put it simply: it’s clear to us that many therapy-seekers prioritize sharing an aspect of their ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or religion with their therapist.
But don’t all therapists provide similar care?
All therapists are obligated to provide care for their clients, through the specific type of therapy they practice, backed by the particular training and licensure they have attained. Most work with a diverse set of clients and are trained to understand and advise on a wide array of experiences and challenges. Therapists who are aware of and trained in cultural competency can provide excellent care to clients whose backgrounds differ from their own. Licensed clinical social worker and Reya clinical advisor Hannah Tishman described her approach to this dynamic, saying:
“I am unable to fully understand these client’s experiences as I have not lived them myself, however I believe in using the therapeutic relationship as a means to heal past racial and cultural trauma in a safe space where I can provide empathy, while using self-awareness to assess my own privilege and how this might show up in the therapist-client dynamic.” — Hannah Tishman, LCSW
At the end of the day, it’s all about what makes you most comfortable in therapy — someone who shares an aspect of your identity, a comfortable style of communication, an effective style of therapy, or another aspect.
How do I find a therapist who shares my identity?
The Reya app, launching to early users on March 15 in Philadelphia, enables users to indicate that they want their therapist to share an aspect of their identity. Then, Reya’s clinically-backed matching method takes those preferences into account when recommending three vetted therapists to the user.
We are also prioritizing welcoming a diverse set of therapists into the Reya network, and encouraging Reya-affiliated therapists to engage in cultural competency training. Academic studies conducted with Asian American and Native American therapy-seekers have shown that they rated a culturally sensitive therapist as being more credible and culturally competent than a culturally blind therapist. Many therapists are already engaging in this personal and professional development themselves, which is great to see!
Other therapist directories like Melanin and Mental Health, Hurdle, and South Asian Therapists.org are also great starting points for those seeking culturally competent care.
At Reya, we want everyone seeking therapy to find their perfect therapist. We believe that identity is a crucial component of patient-therapist relationships for many people, and we are continually educating ourselves and refining the Reya app to better serve these needs.
