Intersectionality in Therapeutic Practice

It's not about how many identities you have, but how the world responds to them.

Intersectionality is a central concept in many discussions around social justice, race, and gender. It was introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a U.S. law professor and civil rights activist.

In the 1980s, she realized that laws and public policies treated racism and sexism as separate issues — which meant that black women were being overlooked by both.

That’s how she coined the term intersectionality — to highlight how different forms of oppression (such as racism, sexism, and classism) intersect and accumulate in people’s lives.

At the heart of this concept is the idea that social structures turn certain identities into sources of vulnerability. That laws, policies, and institutions end up excluding some people while privileging others.

In my work as a therapist, this approach is foundational. It helps me understand the broader context of a person's life:

• What is happening to them?

• What barriers are they facing?

• Which voices have been silenced?

Intersectionality challenges the notion of a “universal” or neutral subject who can be treated using the same model regardless of their story, race, class, or geography.

It calls for deep listening, decentralization, and the sensitivity to recognize that emotional pain doesn’t arise in a vacuum — it’s shaped by daily violence, silenced experiences, and systemic exclusion.

Written by Juliana Camargo