Mental Health Counseling for the Bukharian community -Dmitri Oster, LCSW,...



Mental health and counseling support available for the Bukharian community

 

The Bukharian community is a close and tightknit community in Queens, New York and other cities around the country and world. However, there are moments when tragedy strikes and we feel the shock and sadness of unexplainable and untimely events.

Close and supportive communities as the Bukharian community offer many resources and can truly serve as a protective factor for individuals and families that are dealing with various life-stressors. Even with the support of large and respectful communities, individuals can still experience emotional challenges and personal stressors. This is a fact of life from which nobody is immune from. The best any of us can do is ensure we have as many good and effective sources of support around us as possible. Everybody has burdens and challenges in life, and it is our responsibility to be of help to those individuals that are in need of assistance.

I am a psychotherapist, and I would like to address the topic of mental health and emotional wellbeing. There are myths and misconceptions about mental health, and they can run especially rampant within immigrant communities. I built my entire practice and agency specifically around providing psychological support services to a plethora of immigrant communities in New York, but I feel especially close to the Jewish Bukharian community.

Seeking the services of a psychotherapist or counselor should be as accessible and accepted as seeking the services of a tax accountant, medical doctor, or rabbi. A large majority of clients whom I work with are working professionals, and do not necessarily even carry a “mental health diagnosis”. They are people that are simply looking to speak with a trained professional outside of their peer groups and/or community circles to maintain purely professional and confidential discussions around their emotional and behavioral life.

In other words, many clients that seek the help of a psychotherapist do not necessarily require psychotropic medication or any medical intervention. They are not “crazy” nor “impure”, nor do they need to be “cured”. They simply need dedicated time and space to talk out their feelings and concerns, and have a trained specialist help them make sense out of their own thoughts and feelings whenever needed.

There are, of course, many subtleties around culture that are relevant to keep in mind when working with clients from immigrant communities. The Bukharian community is no exception. I would recommend to any person seeking the help of a psychotherapist or counselor to first ensure they are comfortable with their therapist. The more a person can speak freely in their therapy, the better they will feel. A person should also not feel judged in their therapy sessions, either directly or indirectly. Trained psychotherapists are skilled in working and addressing the relational dynamics that are part of this special relationship with clients so that they can truly feel accepted for who they are, and empowered to work on themselves.

The Jewish Bukharian community of Queens, New York has much to be proud of. It is a community rich with distinctions of honor and praise. It is a community that should always continue to grow and thrive with its contributions to its neighbors, friends, and families.

It is for this reason that I also offer my services and assistance as a practicing psychotherapist to the Bukharian community, and for them to know that they have an ally on their side and always a space to speak in pure confidence and respect.

 

                Dmitri Oster, LCSW

                United Consulting Services

                718-233-2533

                www.UnitedConsultingServices.org


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