Counseling for adults who have experienced the emotional and psychological impact of racism, discrimination, or racial stress.
Working with a therapist after experiencing racial trauma can help you process these experiences, understand their effects, and find ways to feel more grounded in your daily life.
Racial trauma can show up in ways that are hard to explain but deeply felt. At Evolutions Mental Health and Wellness, we offer therapy for racial trauma that centers your lived experience, identity, and sense of safety. Our work supports adults across Garland and throughout Texas, with both virtual and in-person options available.
Racial trauma therapy focuses on the emotional and psychological effects of racism, microaggressions, discrimination, and ongoing racial stress in the workplace, educational institutions, and community. Racial stress and trauma can include both direct experiences and the cumulative impact of what you see, hear, or carry over time. A counselor for racial trauma creates a space of validation of your experiences so that you can process what has happened without feeling the need to minimize or question what you feel.
This service is often sought by adults who feel overwhelmed, guarded, or emotionally drained due to repeated racial experiences. Some clients prefer working with African American therapists, a Black female therapist, or a therapist of color who understands cultural context without needing explanation.
what we address
Signs of Racial Trauma
Trauma can show up in ways that are easy to overlook, cause great physical discomfort, and trigger the desire to numb or suppress them as a means of escaping. If you are or have experienced any of the following, you may have experienced racial trauma.
• Questioning your reality.
• Ongoing stress related to racism, microaggressions, or discrimination in the workplace, educational settings, or community.
• Avoidance of conversations, people, or places.
• Code switching to mask your cultural identity.
• Emotional fatigue.
• Feeling isolated, micromanaged, or ostracized.
• Heightened stress because of cultural identity.
• Hypervigilance.
• Anger related to past or current racial experiences.
•Flashbacks.
If you see yourself in any of these, it does not mean something is wrong with you. Many people who experience racial trauma wonder if they are overreacting, overthinking, or imagining things. These responses can develop over time when your experiences are not fully acknowledged or supported. Therapy can provide you with a space where you don't have to explain, dismiss, or justify what you've been through.
This service may benefit you if you have experienced ongoing stress related to racism or discrimination, feelings of anger, sadness, or emotional exhaustion, difficulty feeling safe around other races, negative internalized beliefs shaped by racial experiences, or difficulty navigating race, identity, culture, and belonging.
how therapy helps
Racial Trauma Therapy Can Help You Heal
Over time, these patterns can evolve as a part of our body's natural survival mechanisms from exposure to traumatic experiences. Therapy can be used to help you notice and understand them without shame, judgment, or guilt. Through awareness, you can learn to teach your body how to move out of survival mode and reclaim your life.
Our sessions may focus on processing specific experiences, allowing you a space to just be heard, while others may be more somatic in helping you move out of dissociation and back into mind-body connection as we build coping skills and resources. The goal of therapy is to name and center what you have experienced to help you make sense of it and learn coping skills in a way that supports your well-being and daily life.
• Emotional responses of fear, anger, sadness, or numbness.
• Patterns of overthinking, withdrawal, or guarded behavior.
• Hypervigilance and feeling the need to code-switch or hide your identity.
• Environmental or relationship stress.
• What safety looks like and ways to protect yourself, lower stress, and reclaim your identity with pride.
what to expect
What To Expect In Sessions
Healing is not about forgetting what happened or dismissing it. It's about finding ways to move forward with more clarity, support, and control over how you respond.
our sessions explore
What We Explore Together
• Racial identity, community, and safety.
• Trauma and the impact on your nervous system.
• Emotional and relational experiences.
• Skills for addressing racism and discrimination.
• Mind-body responses and connection.
• Coping strategies.
our approach
Therapist Expertise and Approach
Our approach to racial trauma therapy is grounded in racial trauma-informed care based on the Steven Kniffley Racial Trauma Model. This means your safety, pace, and comfort are always respected. Sessions are structured to avoid re-traumatization, and you are never pushed to share more than you are ready for. The focus is on helping you understand your experiences without blame, while building awareness of how those experiences may still be affecting you.
Cultural responsiveness is a core part of this work. Your identity, culture, and lived experience are not treated as side topics. They are central to how therapy is understood and practiced. Whether you are seeking support from African American therapists, a Black female therapist, or another therapist of color, the goal is to create a space where you do not have to explain or defend your reality.
a client story
Real Results. Real Healing.
Candace has been a pleasure to work with. I don't know how I would have been able to get through this period of my life without her. She made opening up feel safe and easy. I'm so thankful for her wisdom and help.
— Trauma Therapy Client
got questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Racial trauma therapy is a specialized approach that addresses the psychological impact of racism, discrimination and racial stress. It helps clients process their experiences, regulate their nervous system and develop tools to protect their mental health.
Some of the signs include hypervigilance in predominantly white spaces, anxiety, exhaustion, anger, depression and difficulty trusting others. A free consultation is the easiest way to explore whether therapy is right for you.
Yes, we offer virtual racial trauma therapy across the state of Texas. Online therapy is just as effective and allows you to heal from the comfort and safety of your own space."
While it's not required, many clients find it easier to heal with a therapist of color who shares a cultural understanding of their experience. You shouldn't have to spend your session educating your therapist.
You can book a consultation to discuss your needs and ask questions. This first step helps you decide if therapy feels like the right fit.
take the first step
You Deserve To Be Seen. Fully.
Your pain is valid. Your healing is possible. Book your free consultation with an African American therapist of color who truly gets it in Garland, TX, and virtually across Texas.
