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Are you struggling with the effects of first-generation trauma?
Right now, you might be experiencing:
- Straddling Two Worlds: A constant feeling of being caught between the world your parents came from and the one you long to inhabit.
- Guilt and Confusion: Confusion about your experiences and guilt about the pain you’ve endured.
- Emotional Turmoil: Anxiety, depression, and a pervasive sense of being stuck without knowing what to do.
- Suppressed Anger: Anger towards your parents, but feeling like you can’t express it.
- Isolation: A sense of isolation because no one in your community acknowledges your experience as abuse.
You’ve started to recognize how unresolved first-generation trauma is impacting your life:
- Indecisiveness: You struggle to make decisions based on what you truly want, instead acting out of obligation or others’ expectations.
- Imposter Syndrome: Feeling like an imposter in many life settings, unsure of how to navigate the worlds you inhabit.
- Heightened Anxiety: Living with a heightened sense of anxiety and hypervigilance that doesn’t match your current circumstances.
- Boundary Struggles: Wanting to set boundaries but feeling lost in how to do so given the complexities of being first-generation.
- Strained Parental Relationships: Your anger towards your parents is preventing you from having the kind of relationship you desire with them.
You’re wondering…
- What even is first-generation trauma? Does being the child of immigrants and systemic cycle breakers count as trauma?
- How do I reconcile cultural expectations with the reality that how my parents treated me felt traumatic?
- How can I establish healthy, functional boundaries and relationships with them when the concept of boundaries is foreign to them?
- Can a therapist who’s not from my cultural background truly understand my experience?
- Will trauma therapy be supportive for someone like me who’s first-generation?
You’re longing for…
- Balanced Integration: A healthy, functional life that includes your family of origin, while integrating your own desires and needs.
- Clarity and Resolution: Understanding how the struggles your immigrant and cycle-breaking parents went through impacted you, and finding a way to resolve it.
- True Confidence: A genuine sense of confidence instead of feeling like an imposter every day.
- Boundary Skills: The ability to say no, set good boundaries, and not feel like you have to over-function for everyone else all the time.
- Healthy Coping Mechanisms: Tools and strategies to cope with the mental health strain you’ve been experiencing.
What you’re longing for is possible.
At Evergreen Counseling, we have a team of seasoned, evidence-based, trauma-trained therapists skilled in treating first-generation trauma.
Imagine the Transformation Through Trauma Therapy
By pursuing trauma therapy for first-generation trauma, you can imagine:
Before Therapy
After Therapy
Feeling trapped and stuck when it comes to setting boundaries with your family.
You have kind, clear, firm boundaries and can set them confidently with the people in your life.
An incessant sense of internal pressure to keep achieving, earning, and creating stability and safety for everyone.
Decreased internalized pressure, with the ability to take action from a place of choice.
Feeling beholden, guilty, and ashamed for having anger and sadness toward your parents.
The ability to hold both perspectives: love and compassion for your parents and their context, while also validating your own painful feelings and acknowledging their impact on you.
A sense of powerlessness about your life choices due to the pressures of being first-generation.
More clarity about what you need and want, with the ability to act from this place rather than from a place of obligation.
What if I’m Not Ready?
Not Quite Ready to Book a Complimentary Concierge Matching Call? That’s Okay.
We understand that taking the first step towards therapy can feel overwhelming. We’re here to make this decision easier for you.
Starting therapy can bring up mixed feelings—part of you might be eager, while another part hesitates to confront deeply buried emotions. You might doubt whether therapy can help, especially if you’ve struggled for a long time or had disappointing experiences with untrained therapists or life coaches. At Evergreen Counseling, our trauma-trained therapists are deeply committed to providing expert care.
Here’s How We Can Help You Move Forward
- Complimentary Concierge Matching Call: Our concierge matching call is an opportunity for you to ask questions, share your concerns, and see if our approach feels right for you—without any obligation.
- Reimbursement Options: Concerned about the cost? We can guide you on how to get reimbursed for therapy using your out-of-network insurance benefits, making high-quality care more accessible to you.
- Informed Decision: Whether you’re ready to start or still exploring your options, we want you to feel fully informed and confident in your choice.
