Culture is heavily influenced by a person’s physical location on the globe, from the food the people eat to the clothes they wear to the holidays they celebrate. However, with the increasingly widespread use of technology that connects people through the internet from one side of the world to the other, the hard lines of different cultures have started blurring.
This can cause some sticky situations because people are not immune to the biases and prejudices ingrained in the culture they were raised in. They must step outside the way they were raised and discover the world without pushing their preconceived notions onto others.
Diversity is not simply a buzzword; it’s reality. People shown in the media are carefully curated to tell particular stories and look a certain way.
So it can seem as though only those shown in the media or the majority of groups in spaces are worthy of being there and finding success, which isn’t true.
But how can this be changed?
There are certain organizations out there that are taking a new approach to their work that keeps diversity and inclusion at the forefront, like Out of the Box Counseling, Coaching, & Consulting, founded by Dr. Olivia West. Their mission, according to their website, is “To provide Quality and Affordable Private Practice mental healthcare to all despite socio-economic status, race, creed, color, identity, orientation, language, ability, disability, age, sex, or origin, while also maintaining a sublime Quality of Life for our clinicians.”
Holding a doctorate in International Psychology, Dr. Olivia West, also known as Dr. O, is an advocate, author, coach, consultant, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and hypnotherapist who has made it her mission to promote diversity and inclusion through her work.
Her education took her around the world, but there was a time during her Clinical Psychology Master’s program when she saw the impact and importance of diversity. When it isn’t present, there’s an obvious gap that those who are part of the minority are painfully aware of.
“Moving to Arizona and in the [Master’s degree] program, I realized that our definitions of diversity were very different. I was looking for ethnic diversity, and their definition of cultural diversity was “Okay, caucasian – but they are lesbian, so that makes them diverse” or “They are from South Africa – but they were white South African”. So it was still heavily white-populated and did not have people of color.
That reflected in the program – a lot of things that were taught were based on westernized psychology and had a lot of discriminatory practices that I did not agree with in moving forward as a Psychologist. During that time, I created a Black Student Union for Black students who were discriminated against because of their ethnicity. I advocated for myself and minority other students, and then I ultimately decided that I needed to find a program that was more aligned with my beliefs and values in regard to equity, social justice, and the mental health arena,” shares Dr. O.
She continued to be proactive, like she was in Arizona, as her work took her to places she never imagined. Traveling the world and immersing herself in various countries and cultures, Dr. O has been conducting research, training, and providing mental health services both in person and via telehealth. This approach makes most people feel comfortable with her.
Her global experiences have allowed Dr. O to witness firsthand the positive impact of diverse perspectives in mental health care. By embracing an international approach to coaching, Dr. O promotes a more inclusive and empathetic practice, recognizing the value of different cultural backgrounds. This commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential for creating a more equitable and understanding world.