Therapy for the Emotional Impacts of Racism: Healing Race-Based Trauma in BC
The pain of racism isn’t always visible. It often lives beneath the surface in the nervous system, in unspoken grief, in the weariness of needing to constantly explain or defend your experience. Whether it shows up through microaggressions, institutional bias, overt acts of hate, or subtle social erasure, the cumulative toll of racism can be deeply distressing and disorienting.
At Tidal Trauma Centre, we honour the reality that race-based traumatic stress is real. And we believe you deserve support that acknowledges your lived experience, not minimizes it. Whether you’re located in Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, or anywhere in BC, our trauma-informed therapists offer a grounded, compassionate space to process, heal, and reconnect with your sense of self.
Understanding Racial Trauma and Its Psychological Toll
Racism doesn’t just live in isolated incidents. It can thread itself through everyday interactions, workplaces, healthcare systems, schools, and even within family or community. Over time, this exposure to bias, marginalization, or invalidation can lead to:
Chronic anxiety or hypervigilance
Low mood or emotional shutdown
Sleep disturbances or somatic symptoms
Disconnection from self, culture, or community
Shame, anger, or helplessness
Exhaustion from code-switching or being ‘the only one’
These are not personal failures. They are deeply human responses to harmful systems and repeated disregard. Therapy for racial trauma can offer space to name these experiences, reconnect with your inner resources, and access support that centres your truth.
What Is Race-Based Traumatic Stress (RBTS)?
RBTS refers to the emotional, psychological, and physiological impact of racism, especially when it is chronic or compounded. It may look like symptoms of PTSD, but its source is often tied to societal injustice, intergenerational trauma, or repeated invalidation of racial identity.
While RBTS isn’t yet an official DSM-5 diagnosis, many therapists and researchers now recognize its effects as legitimate and worthy of care. You don’t have to meet a certain threshold of “severity” for your pain to matter.
What Therapy for Racial Trauma Can Offer
When you work with a therapist who understands the impacts of racism, therapy becomes more than just a space to vent. It becomes a container for reclaiming your story, reconnecting with your body, and building a future that feels more rooted and spacious. Therapy for racial trauma may support you to:
Unpack and name the cumulative weight of racialized experiences
Challenge internalized oppression and rebuild self-worth
Reclaim cultural practices, joy, and belonging
Process intergenerational trauma with curiosity and compassion
Learn tools for grounding, boundaries, and nervous system regulation
Heal relational wounds, especially from dominant-culture systems
You don’t have to carry it alone and you don’t have to explain everything from scratch.
Online Therapy for Racial Trauma Across BC
We know that the right therapist can be hard to find, especially when you want someone attuned to racial identity, power dynamics, and trauma. That’s why we offer online therapy across British Columbia, so you can access support in a way that works for you.
Whether you live in a small town, a busy city, or somewhere in between, you can meet with a therapist from the safety of your home. Online therapy also offers:
Flexible scheduling
Access to diverse therapists, including BIPOC clinicians
An increased sense of safety for some clients
Privacy and reduced barriers to entry
Ready to Begin?
If racism has affected your sense of safety, confidence, or connection, you deserve support that takes that impact seriously. You don’t have to explain your experience away. We believe you.
Fill out a New Client Form to be matched with one or more of our trauma-informed therapists.
Or, book a free consult or appointment through our secure booking platform.
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No. We don’t require a diagnosis to begin. You are welcome to start therapy based on how you’re feeling and what you’ve experienced, even if you’re not sure how to label it.
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That’s okay. Our therapists work with you at your pace. We use somatic, relational, and experiential approaches that don’t rely solely on words.
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No. Therapy can be effective without retelling every detail. We prioritize emotional safety, consent, and nervous system regulation in every session.
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Yes. While not all of our clinicians identify as BIPOC, we will do our best to honour your preferences and refer you to a clinician who feels like the right fit within or beyond our team.
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Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, or mental health advice. It is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.