Therapy for Systemic and Racial Stress in Richmond, VA
When the Weight of the World Feels Personal
You're tired in a way that sleep doesn't fix. Tired of code-switching at work. Tired of being the only one in the room. Tired of smiling through microaggressions because making it a thing would cost you more than swallowing it. Tired of watching the news and feeling your chest tighten, knowing that what happened to them could happen to you.
People tell you not to take it personally. To stay positive. To focus on what you can control. But it's hard to separate your personal struggles from a system that was never designed for you to succeed in. Hard to practice self-care when the problem isn't inside you, it's all around you.
Maybe you've tried therapy before, but spent the session explaining what code-switching is. Or watched your therapist fumble through a conversation about racism with visible discomfort. Or been told to focus on your thoughts and behaviors when the issue is clearly bigger than your individual mindset.
Living as a BIPOC person, especially as a Black person, in America means navigating systems that weren't built for you. The stress of this navigation isn't just individual anxiety or personal sensitivity. It's a rational response to real conditions: discrimination, microaggressions, erasure, threat, and the constant work of existing in spaces that question your belonging.
This kind of stress accumulates. It lives in your body. It affects your sleep, your relationships, your sense of safety, your mental health. And it often goes unvalidated because so much of it is invisible to people who don't experience it.
Therapy for systemic issues acknowledges what many therapeutic approaches ignore: that some of what you're struggling with isn't yours to fix. It's not a mindset problem or a personal failing. It's the weight of moving through a world that regularly sends the message that you don't belong, aren't safe, or have to work twice as hard for half the recognition.
Understanding Racial Stress and Systemic Impact
Working with a Black Therapist Who Understands
License: LPC,
0701013055, Verify License
I'm Kamillah Gray, and I understand systemic stress because I live it. As a femme person navigating the same systems you are, I don't need racism explained to me. I don't need to be educated about microaggressions or convinced that what you're experiencing is real. I already know.
I also know the particular exhaustion of holding multiple marginalized identities at once. Being Black and queer. Being Black and neurodivergent. Being Black and chronically ill. Each intersection adds another layer of navigation, another way the world wasn't built for you.
In our work together, we won't waste time on basics. You won't have to prove that systemic oppression exists or manage my discomfort while discussing your pain. We'll focus on what you actually need: space to process, strategies for protecting yourself, support in navigating impossible situations, and room to feel whatever you're feeling without being told to rise above it.
I hold a social justice and abolitionist framework, which means I see your struggles in context. I won't individualize systemic problems or suggest that the right mindset will fix structural issues. I will help you find ways to survive and even find moments of peace within systems that aren't going to change overnight.
What Therapy for Systemic Stress Feels Like
Sessions are a space where your reality is understood from the start. We won't spend time debating whether racism is real or whether your experience is valid. That foundation is already in place. We can move directly into what you're carrying and what you need.
Some sessions might focus on something specific, an incident at work, a family dynamic, something in the news that hit too close to home. Others might be about the cumulative weight: the exhaustion of constant vigilance, the grief of watching your community targeted, the anger that has nowhere safe to go.
I bring honesty alongside care. I won't offer toxic positivity or pretend things are better than they are. But I'll also help you find moments of agency within systems designed to make you feel powerless. We'll look at what's in your control, not because the rest isn't real, but because you deserve to feel less depleted.
The tone is warm and real. We can be angry together. We can grieve together. We can also laugh, rest, and find moments of lightness. Holding the weight doesn't mean holding it constantly.
What This Kind of Therapy May Offer You
I can't promise to fix systems that have been broken for centuries. What I can offer is support that actually fits your experience. Many clients notice shifts when they finally have space to process without defending their reality:
Validation
You may feel relief in having your experience recognized without having to prove it.
Less Isolation
You might feel less alone when someone truly understands what you're navigating.
More Tools
You may develop strategies for protecting your energy and wellbeing within hostile systems.
What Life Might Feel Like with This Kind of Support
Imagine having one space where you don't have to translate your experience. Where you can name what happened without softening it for someone else's comfort. Where you can be angry, sad, exhausted, or numb without being told to be more positive or focus on gratitude.
With support, you might find that the weight doesn't disappear, but it becomes more bearable. You develop a sharper sense of what's worth your energy and what isn't. You get better at protecting yourself without shutting down entirely. The constant vigilance might soften, at least sometimes, because you have one space where you're truly safe.
You might also find yourself releasing some of the internalized messages, the ones that tell you to work harder, be twice as good, never show weakness. Those messages served a purpose, but they've also been exhausting. There might be room to set them down, at least a little.
This isn't about thriving despite oppression or transcending your circumstances through personal growth. It's about surviving with more of yourself intact. About having support that actually fits. About not carrying this alone.
Beginning Therapy for Systemic and Racial Stress
If you're ready for a therapist who gets it without explanation, here's how we begin:
Reach Out
Send a message through the contact form. Share whatever feels right about what's bringing you to therapy, no pressure to have the perfect words.
Free Consultation
We'll schedule a brief call to connect and see if we're a good fit. You can ask questions and get a sense of whether this space feels right for you.
Begin Sessions
If we decide to work together, we'll schedule your first session and start wherever you need to start.
Insights That Emerge in This Work
As clients process their experiences with someone who understands, certain realizations tend to surface:
- "I'm not crazy, what I've been experiencing is real."
- "My exhaustion makes sense given what I'm navigating."
- "I don't have to perform strength all the time."
- "I'm allowed to be angry. I'm allowed to grieve."
- "Not everything is mine to fix."
- "I deserve support that doesn't require me to educate."
Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy for Systemic Issues
Do I have to be dealing with a specific incident to come to therapy?
No. You don't need a particular crisis or event. The cumulative weight of existing in a racist system is enough. Therapy can help with the ongoing stress, not just acute situations.
Is this only for Black clients?
While I specialize in supporting Black clients, I work with BIPOC individuals more broadly who are navigating racism and systemic oppression. If you're looking for a therapist who understands systemic issues and won't individualize structural problems, this space may be a fit.
Will you tell me to just focus on what I can control?
Not in a way that dismisses what you can't. I believe in acknowledging the full reality of systemic oppression while also helping you find agency and protect your wellbeing where possible. Both things can be true.
What if I'm also dealing with anxiety, depression, or other issues?
That's common and expected. Systemic stress often shows up as anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, or other symptoms. We can address all of it together, understanding that some of what you're experiencing has roots in what you're navigating externally.
Are sessions virtual?
Yes, all sessions are virtual. I serve clients throughout Virginia, which means you can attend from wherever feels safest and most comfortable.
Ready for Support That Doesn't Require Explanation?
If you're exhausted from carrying the weight and educating everyone around you, and ready for a therapist who already understands, I'd love to hear from you. Reaching out is just a conversation, no pressure, no performance required.
You've been navigating this alone long enough. When you're ready, I'm here.
