But What Will People Say?
Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love and Family Between Cultures
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
A paradigm-shifting book from therapist and founder of @browngirltherapy, offering powerful insights and guidance for multi-cultural readers to better understand, accept and nurture their mental wellbeing
Sahaj grew up as a south-asian girl in a white American community, constantly trying to reconcile her two identities, always feeling like she wasn’t enough of either. Her mental health suffered but her worries were met with shame and the all-encompassing question: But what will people say?
After years of attending therapy in secret and finding the same gaps in the mental health world, Sahaj decided to train as a therapist herself. Now, with over 225k followers from around the world, Sahaj is on a mission to make mental health advice accessible for people from all cultures and, ultimately, help others free themselves from shame. There are sections on:
- Generational trauma
- Breaking down stigma
- Celebrating cultural duality
But What Will People Say? elegantly weaves together Sahaj's personal narrative with anecdotal analysis, and comprehensive research to create a revolutionary guide that will democratize and decolonize the way we think about our mental health. It is nothing short of a revolution.
'This book is a must read' Layla F. Saad, New York Times bestselling author of Me and White Supremacy
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Psychotherapist Kohli ventures beyond traditional Western therapeutic approaches in her innovative debut guide to mental health. Born to Indian immigrant parents, Kohli grew up grappling with her identity, finding only "white and therefore culturally individualistic" perspectives in self-help books. She became a therapist and in 2019 founded the online community Brown Girl Therapy to "raise awareness of ways in which we can decolonize therapy and mental health care." Drawing on personal anecdotes, client stories, and online polls, Kohli digs into such issues as the "internalization of societal, cultural, or familial standards" that shape immigrant kids' "dominant narratives" ("It can feel like we are characters written into our parents' stories") and the tension between retaining one's heritage and assimilating for the sake of safety or ease. Kohli's own narrative—growing up feeling trapped between two cultures; dealing with academic pressure; telling her parents she was dating a white American who became her husband—forms the backbone of the book, providing a solid foundation for thoughtful reflection questions, exercises, and tips on such topics as "cultural imposter syndrome," in which one lacks a sense of grounding in both host and heritage cultures. Those seeking self-help beyond "eurocentric and colonial" models of care will be eager to dive in.
