Featuring Dr. Katrina Landry, PhD, MA, LPC-S, and James Semiene, MA, LPC-Associate, supervised by Dr. Katrina Landry, PhD, LPC-S

Culturally responsive therapy starts with a simple truth: for many people in minority communities, the decision to begin counseling carries more weight than simply finding a provider. There may be family messages that problems stay at home, a belief that faith or willpower should be enough, or past experiences with professionals who did not understand their culture. Some people worry they will spend their first sessions explaining their lives instead of being helped.

At Renewed Hope Counseling Center, culturally responsive therapy is part of how we practice, not an add-on.

What minority clients often carry

Clients from minority communities frequently describe:

• Stress from discrimination, bias, or being one of few in a workplace or school
• Pressure to represent their family or community well at all times
• The emotional cost of code-switching between environments
• Generational expectations around strength, silence, and self-reliance
• Financial and caregiving responsibilities for extended family
• Stigma about mental health within family, church, or community
• Grief, including losses that were never openly acknowledged

These stressors accumulate. Over time they can show up as irritability, fatigue, anxiety, low mood, strained relationships, or physical complaints.

Minority men and the pressure to hold it together

Men in minority communities are often taught early that emotions are a liability and that providing and protecting leave little room for vulnerability. Many arrive in counseling after years of carrying stress quietly. James Semiene’s clinical focus is working with minority men. His approach respects the roles men hold while creating space to examine the cost of carrying everything alone.

Tools from culturally responsive therapy you can use now

Emotional intelligence: expand your vocabulary. “Stressed” and “fine” often cover a wide range of experiences. Practice naming more specific emotions, such as disappointed, overlooked, protective, or exhausted. Precise language leads to precise solutions.

Separate the message from the moment. When a reaction feels larger than the situation, ask: is this about today, or is it connected to a pattern I have experienced before? This question reduces reactivity and protects relationships.

Conflict resolution across generations. When family members hold different beliefs about mental health, lead with shared values: “We both want this family to be strong.” Then explain how support helps you meet that goal.

Set boundaries without guilt. Supporting family and protecting your own health can coexist. A clear, kind boundary is a form of respect for both.

Restore what grounds you. Faith, community, music, food, and tradition are sources of resilience. Intentionally returning to them during stressful periods supports regulation.

How culturally responsive therapy works at Renewed Hope

In culturally responsive therapy, our clinicians approach each client’s background as a source of strength and context, not a problem to be solved. Sessions explore how culture, family, faith, and lived experience shape stress and relationships, and they focus on practical skills for managing emotions, improving communication, and setting boundaries.

• Dr. Katrina Landry works with adults, couples, and families, with a strong emphasis on relationships, grief, and emotional regulation.
• James Semiene works with minority men and veterans, focusing on stress, anger, identity, and relationships.

Sessions are fully virtual, which allows clients to receive care privately and on their own schedule.

When to reach out for culturally responsive therapy

Consider culturally responsive therapy if stress is affecting your sleep, health, work, or relationships, or if you have been carrying something for a long time without a place to set it down. You do not have to choose between your culture and your mental health.

Renewed Hope Counseling Center provides virtual culturally responsive therapy for clients in Texas and Florida. Texas clients may work with Dr. Katrina Landry or James Semiene; Florida clients are seen by Dr. Katrina Landry. Schedule an appointment at renewedhopecc.com, call 281-238-5908, or email info@renewedhopecc.com.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.