NARRA COUNSELLING & CONSULTING
Punjabi Mental Health Support in BC: Culturally Sensitive Counselling
You don’t have to leave your roots behind to grow.
Get Support from a Registered Clinical Counsellor in BC.
How To Get Started
15-Minute Virtual Session
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Meet your therapist
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No waitlist, quick start
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No commitment
Start with a free 15-minute consultation. Just a chance to:
- Share what’s on your mind
- Ask questions about therapy for depression
- See if this support feels like a good fit
Sessions are available through online counselling across BC.
Limited Time Only: Our Intro Offer
Honoring your roots and finding yourself aren't opposites.
For many in the Punjabi community, mental health struggles carry the weight of immigration sacrifices, intergenerational trauma, and the tension between tradition and your own identity. Counselling offers space to honor your heritage while finding peace with who you are, without guilt or shame.
Adjusting to life in a new culture, managing family expectations, and navigating mental health challenges can feel overwhelming.
For many in the Punjabi community, these struggles are often compounded by:
- Cultural stigma around seeking help
- Difficulty expressing emotions or asking for support
- Intergenerational trauma and immigration stress
- Balancing personal needs with cultural or family obligations
The loss of familiar support networks, combined with the pressure to succeed in a new environment, can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Online therapy offers a safe and confidential space to explore these challenges with a registered clinical counsellor.
Understanding these experiences is the first step toward healing and finding the right support.
Common Mental Health Challenges Faced by the Punjabi Community
Common Issues We Address
Counselling can help you navigate the unique challenges that arise at the intersection of culture, family, and identity.
Common areas of support include:
- ✅ Family Expectations & Intergenerational Conflict: Navigating pressure to meet family expectations, conflicts between traditional values and personal goals, and communication gaps between generations.
- ✅ Immigration & Acculturation Stress: Processing the emotional toll of leaving your home country, adjusting to life in Canada, and carrying the weight of family sacrifices.
- ✅ Shame & Guilt: Working through feelings of bringing dishonor to your family, fear of judgment from your community, and learning to prioritize your wellbeing without guilt.
- ✅ Relationship & Marriage Issues: Navigating cultural expectations around relationships, marriage, and family planning while honoring your own needs.
Culturally Attuned Mental Health Support
Culturally attuned counselling honors where you come from while supporting who you're becoming.
For members of the Punjabi and South Asian communities in British Columbia, culturally attuned counselling recognizes the unique intersection of immigration, family dynamics, and cultural values that shape your mental health journey.
Key aspects of culturally sensitive support include:
Cultural Understanding: Working with a counsellor who understands the importance of intergenerational expectations, and the nuances of navigating life between two cultures.
Safe, Judgment-Free Space: Counselling that respects your cultural values while creating room to explore your own identity.
Language and Communication: Access to therapy in your preferred language (including Punjabi), ensuring you can express yourself fully and feel truly understood.
Our evidence-based treatment approach
At Narra, we also integrate evidence-based therapies to support you in the way that feels most helpful.
Depending on your goals and preferences, we may include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you notice how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are connected. Together, we gently explore patterns that may be keeping you stuck, like harsh self-talk, avoidance, or all-or-nothing thinking. This approach is practical and goal-focused, offering tools to help you respond to life’s challenges in more helpful ways.
Mindfulness-based tools
Mindfulness invites you to return to the present moment, especially when your mind feels scattered or overwhelmed. It’s not about clearing your mind but about noticing what’s happening without judgment. Over time, this helps soften self-criticism and create space between you and difficult thoughts or emotions.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT provides real, everyday tools for managing strong emotions, navigating relationships, and getting through crisis moments. These skills can help you feel more grounded, especially if you often feel reactive, overwhelmed, or shut down.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps you reconnect with what matters most to you. Instead of trying to avoid or fight difficult thoughts and feelings, we work on noticing them while still making choices that reflect your values. This approach supports resilience, clarity, and more intentional living.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS sees the mind as made up of different parts, each with its own role. Some parts protect, others carry pain, and some may feel stuck in the past. Through curiosity and compassion, we explore these parts so you can understand them, reduce inner conflict, and move toward healing from within.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
IPT centres on your relationships. If you’ve been feeling isolated, misunderstood, or caught in the same patterns with others, this approach helps you make sense of those experiences. It can support you in building healthier, more meaningful connections and feeling less alone in the process.
This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about walking with you, step by step,
as you find your way back to the parts of life that feel meaningful and manageable again.
What you can expectafter counselling
Every person’s journey is different, and so are the outcomes. Over time, many people begin to feel:
A deeper understanding of their emotions and less burdened by them
Greater ability to manage low moods and spiraling thoughts
A return of energy, clarity, or motivation
Stronger connections with family, friends, or a sense of purpose
A gentler, more compassionate relationship with themselves
We understand that balancing family expectations, cultural values, and life in a new country can feel overwhelming. You don’t need to have it all figured out. Therapy can provide guidance when you feel lost and steady support as you find your way forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can benefit from Punjabi mental health support?
Members of the Punjabi community, immigrants, newcomers, and anyone navigating cultural challenges, family expectations, or mental health stigma can benefit. It helps with stress related to identity questions, family dynamics, and other life transitions.
Are sessions available in Punjabi?
Yes. Sessions are offered in multiple languages, including English and Punjabi, to ensure accessibility and comfort.
What topics can I discuss in counselling?
You can discuss a wide range of concerns, including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, family dynamics, identity challenges, cultural expectations, grief, and life transitions. Whether you’re dealing with pressure to meet family expectations, fear of judgment, or difficulty balancing your heritage with personal needs, counselling provides a safe space to explore these challenges.
Is counselling confidential?
Yes. All counselling sessions are completely confidential. Your privacy is protected, and nothing discussed in sessions will be shared with family members or anyone else without your explicit consent.
Sometimes the smallest step is starting the conversation.
Request a Consultation
The first step to feeling better is finding the right support. We offer a free, no-pressure phone or video consultation to help you determine whether we’re the right fit.
