l.a. therapy for racial trauma, identity, & conscious allyship
Healing in a World of Systemic Oppression
Systemic oppression doesn’t just exist in laws or policies—it exists in bodies, in relationships, in workplaces, in everyday interactions. It’s woven into the fabric of our society, shaping experiences in ways that are often invisible to those who benefit from it, yet undeniable to those who endure it.
At Kindman & Co., we understand that the psychological effects of racism, white supremacy, and systemic injustice are real, profound, and often overlooked in traditional mental health spaces. Whether you're carrying the weight of racial trauma, grappling with internalized oppression, or working to unlearn patterns of white fragility to become a more conscious ally, we’re here to support your journey with care, honesty, and deep respect.
what does healing from racial trauma look like?
Healing from oppression isn’t just about survival—it’s about reclaiming joy, agency, and deep connection. It’s about giving yourself permission to feel, to rest, and to take up space in a world that too often demands you shrink. It’s about connecting with your history and ancestral traditions and celebrating exactly who you are. And for those doing the work of unlearning privilege, it’s about stepping beyond guilt and discomfort into real, sustained action.
For BIPOC Clients: Holding Space for Healing & Liberation
The impact of racial trauma is real. It’s not just a response to isolated incidents; it’s the accumulation of microaggressions, systemic inequities, and historical wounds passed down through generations. It’s the exhaustion of code-switching, the anxiety of being “the only one” in a room, the silent grief of knowing that no matter how hard you work, you may still be judged by the color of your skin. It’s the deep, gut-level awareness that safety, access, and dignity are not equitably distributed.
If you are feeling exhausted, angry, numb, anxious, or stuck, please know that these are not personal failings. They are understandable, warranted, and deeply human reactions to an unjust system.
In our work together, we can explore:
Processing Racial Trauma – Understanding the toll of everyday racism, navigating microaggressions, and healing from overt and covert acts of harm.
Navigating Identity and Internalized Oppression – Working through feelings of imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or internalized racism that may have taken root due to societal messages.
Setting Boundaries and Protecting Your Energy – Learning how to hold firm boundaries in relationships, workplaces, and social settings where you feel tokenized, misunderstood, or dismissed.
Cultivating Rest and Joy as Acts of Resistance – Reclaiming pleasure, rest, and self-care in a world that often demands relentless labor and emotional endurance from BIPOC individuals.
Your emotions are valid. Your exhaustion is real. Your healing matters.
Therapy is not about “fixing” you—because you were never broken. It’s about making space for your full humanity in a world that too often denies it.
Please know that all of our white-bodied therapists are deeply committed to anti-racist practice and receive ongoing training and/or supervision in supporting BIPOC clients. We do this with intentionality and care and we also recognize that no amount of education can replace the lived experience of being a person of color. We hold a deep commitment to honoring and exploring this difference as part of how we build trust within the therapeutic relationship—we’re here to explore all intersections of your identity and how they influence safety and comfort in the therapy room.
You may also want to read our blog about finding a therapist who “gets it” and get ideas for suggested questions to ask your therapist to ensure the therapeutic relationship will be a great, supportive fit for you.
For White Clients: Moving Beyond Fragility into Meaningful Allyship
If you’re here, it likely means you care about justice. Maybe you've been doing the work—reading books, following activists, engaging in tough conversations—but you still feel uncertain, stuck, or afraid of making mistakes. Maybe you've felt defensive when someone called you out, or you’ve struggled with the shame of recognizing your own privilege. Maybe you’ve wanted to help but haven’t known how to do so without saying something “wrong” or centering yourself.
All of this is normal. Unpacking privilege and white supremacy is messy, uncomfortable work. But discomfort isn’t the enemy—avoidance is.
Therapy can offer a space for white clients to process these feelings without burdening BIPOC friends, colleagues, or partners with the emotional labor of education. It’s a place to move beyond performative allyship and toward deep, sustained accountability.
In our work together, we can explore:
Understanding and Managing White Fragility – Building resilience to sit with discomfort, listen without defensiveness, and avoid shutting down when challenged.
Processing Guilt and Shame in a Productive Way – Learning to acknowledge privilege without getting stuck in self-blame or seeking absolution from BIPOC individuals.
Deconstructing Racial Bias and Internalized Superiority – Unpacking unconscious biases and understanding how white supremacy culture operates in subtle, everyday ways.
Committing to Actionable, Sustainable Allyship – Moving beyond learning and intention into real action that supports systemic change without centering whiteness.
This is not about “earning” the label of a good ally. It’s about showing up, doing the work, and staying engaged—even when no one is watching.
Therapy can offer a supportive and intentional space for white clients to process the complexities and emotions of holding privilege and help you move into conscientious action. In some cases, working through white fragility may be best supported by a white clinician—not only to support your own unlearning, but also to avoid adding to the systemic burden often placed on BIPOC clinicians to carry the weight of this work. If this is something you'd like to explore in therapy, please let our care coordinator and your assigned therapist know, so the therapist can ensure that they currently have the capacity to support you in this process.
Why Therapy for healing from systemic oppression? Why Now?
You might be wondering—do I really need therapy for this? Can’t I just read books, attend workshops, or talk to friends?
While education is essential, true healing and transformation require deep, personal work. Therapy offers a unique space to:
Go beyond surface-level understanding and explore how these issues show up in your life, relationships, and mental health.
Process difficult emotions in a way that is intentional, rather than reactive.
Develop strategies to navigate the world in a way that aligns with your values.
Get thoughtful support for taking risks, making mistakes, and navigating uncomfortable conversations
Engage in accountability with support and guidance, rather than isolation or performativity.
Systemic oppression affects us all—but in vastly different ways. For BIPOC individuals, therapy can be a space for healing and resistance. For white individuals, it can be a space for unlearning and responsible allyship. For everyone, it can be a space to imagine and create a world where justice and care guide the way.
Our Approach at Kindman & Co.
At Kindman & Co., our therapists are committed to anti-racist, trauma-informed, and liberatory practices. We approach this work with deep care, humility, and a commitment to social justice. We recognize that healing from oppression is not an individual process—it is collective, relational, and deeply tied to the world around us.
Our work is intersectional, meaning we honor the ways race, gender, sexuality, disability, class, and other identities shape our individual and collective experience. We affirm and support queer, trans, polyamorous, and neurodivergent clients, recognizing that systems of oppression do not act in isolation.
Above all, we believe that therapy should be a space where you feel seen, heard, and valued.