2 min read
What Culturally Responsive Counselling Feels Like When Your Culture Matters
If your family, faith or migration story shapes who you are, here’s what it looks like when a counsellor meets your culture with curiosity instead of assumptions.
Today we had the chance to talk with Maryam Motamed, a mental health counsellor based in North Vancouver, BC, with experience growing up in Iran, moving to Canada as a teenager, and raising her family here. We talked about what culturally responsive counselling looks like from the client’s chair — especially when your culture is more family- or community-centred than the individual-focused approach common in Canada. This is the first part of a series.
Key takeaways
- A good counsellor asks instead of assumes. Maryam says she shows up with cultural humility — even with clients who share her Iranian background. A culturally responsive counsellor will say, honestly, “I don’t know, but I’m here to learn — tell me how this works in your family and community.” You don’t have to fit a textbook picture of your culture.
- Your faith and choices mean what they mean to you. Maryam shares how she once assumed a client wearing a head scarf was a practising Muslim, only to learn a few sessions later that the reasons were quite different. She explores faith early on so it can become a support where it fits — not an assumption. You can expect to be asked, and you’re free to explain what your beliefs and practices actually mean to you.
- Holding back isn’t “resistance”. In many collectivist cultures, sharing private things with a stranger isn’t done, and mental health can carry stigma. Maryam stresses that quietness at first is often a cultural response, not a lack of effort, and progress may show up in ways other than talking openly. A good counsellor adjusts their questions to fit you.
- Advice should fit your real life. Clients have told Maryam they felt misunderstood when a counsellor said, “Don’t worry about what your family thinks — just do it.” She describes a 29-year-old engineer who felt judged for living with his parents, which in his culture signals respect. You deserve support that works within your family and values, not against them.
- Feeling understood makes a difference. Maryam finds that many women from Iran and the wider Middle East connect with her because they don’t have to explain everything from scratch. If language, culture or migration experience matters to you, it’s reasonable to look for a counsellor who either shares it or is genuinely curious to learn it.
At Free Counselling Society Canada, we know that your culture, language and migration story are part of what you bring into the room. Our counsellors offer support in 16+ languages and aim to meet each person with the same humility and curiosity Maryam describes. Free one-on-one counselling is available to anyone in Canada — reach out whenever you’re ready.
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Related: Newcomer & Immigration Stress One‑on‑One Adult Counselling · See all conditions
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We offer counselling in 16+ languages. Our most‑requested include Farsi/Persian, Spanish, Punjabi, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Arabic, French, and Tagalog/Filipino — among many others. Tell us your preferred language on the request form and we’ll do our best to match you with a counsellor who speaks it.
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