what is intersectionality

and why does it belong in therapy

Twenty-eight years ago, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” in a paper as a way to help explain the oppression of African-American women. The term refers more broadly to an intellectual framework for understanding how various aspects of individual identity—including race, Gender, Social Class, and Sexuality —interact to create unique experiences of privilege or oppression.

Intersectionality is vital to well rounded treatment. at the intersectional therapist, we understand that the human experience is more complex than ‘presenting symptoms’ and the box the DSM puts us in. we believe it is crucial to take historical, familial, and sociopolitcal context when treating our clients. intersectionality allows us to frame your experience within the world you inhabit.

SPECIALTIES:

  • attachment injuries

  • sexual health concerns

  • life transitions

  • parenting

  • anxiety

  • depression

  • Relationship conflict

  • body image/ intuitive eating

  • trauma

  • 1st generation concerns

  • sex therapy

  • complex trauma/ptsd

  • chronic pain

  • grief

Smiling person with dark hair, wearing a black top and a small nose stud, in a well-lit room.

Andrea Saavedra-Metoyer, M.S. , LMFT

CLINICAL DIRECTOR/OWNER

The Intersectional Therapist, we are committed to continuing our education on racial, gender, and sociopolitical issues so you don't have to. We respect our client’s individual experience as it relates to their intersecting identities. You and you alone are the expert on your life. We will continue to acknowledge our own intersecting privileges and actively work toward challenging our own biases so you feel safe in your therapeutic journey. We will continue to challenge the use of diagnostic criteria set by the DSM, which has served as a tool of oppression.

our mission

Sunlight filtering through tall redwood trees in a lush forest with green ferns on the ground.
Tall trees in a misty forest, viewed from below, with a focus on the textured bark and green foliage.
Sunlight filtering through dense forest of tall trees with ferns on the ground.

"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

- Audre Lorde

Contact us.

info@theintersectionaltherapist.com
(626)250-0861

220 S. Indian Hill Blvd, Suite J

Claremont, Ca 91711