You may use English all day at work or school, then reach for Hindi or Urdu when the conversation turns to family, home, faith, or an experience from much earlier in life. Sometimes the first word that comes is not the language you expected. Sometimes an English mental health term feels precise, while a feeling makes more sense in another language.
Therapy does not have to turn that into a test. You can ask for care in Hindi, in Urdu, in English, or with room to move between languages when your therapist offers them.
Hindi and Urdu are not the same language
Hindi and Urdu share parts of their spoken vocabulary, especially in everyday conversation, but they are separate languages with different writing systems, histories, literary traditions, and cultural contexts. A therapy page should not treat them as interchangeable.
At Anchor & Bloom, Shima Tavasoli is fluent in Hindi and Urdu. That means a client can request therapy in either language. It does not mean every Hindi-speaking and Urdu-speaking client has the same background, family experience, beliefs, or relationship to language.
During a consultation, say which language you prefer and how you use it. For example, you may speak Urdu at home but find certain English terms clearer. You may be fluent in Hindi but want to know whether the therapist understands the expressions your family uses. A short, ordinary conversation can tell you more about language fit than a label on a directory.
Can I switch languages during a session?
If your therapist offers each language you want to use, you can ask about switching. You do not need to plan where one language stops and another begins.
People switch for many reasons. A memory may arrive in the language in which it happened. A word from home may carry more warmth, embarrassment, anger, or grief than its English translation. English may create useful distance when a subject feels raw. None of those choices is automatically better. What matters is whether the language helps you say what you mean and feel understood.
It is also fine to stay in one language. Multilingual care gives you options. It does not create a requirement to explain your identity or bring culture into every session.
Shared language is one part of fit
Speaking the same language can reduce the work of translating your thoughts, but it does not guarantee that a therapist will be the right fit. Ask the same questions you would ask any clinician:
- What ages and concerns do you work with?
- What is your exact professional title and registration number?
- How do you approach anxiety, trauma, family conflict, or the concern I am bringing?
- Are sessions online or in person?
- What is the fee and session length?
- Does my insurance cover a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)?
- Can I use Hindi, Urdu, and English in the same appointment if that feels natural?
A thoughtful therapist will stay curious rather than assuming that language tells them everything about your family, values, religion, migration history, gender, or community.
What is available at Anchor & Bloom?
Shima Tavasoli, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), CRPO #20331, offers online individual psychotherapy across Ontario in English, Persian/Farsi, Hindi, and Urdu. Persian/Farsi is her mother tongue, and she is fluent in Hindi and Urdu.
Shima works with children, teens, young adults, adults, and older adults. Her areas of focus include anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, emotional regulation, self-esteem, ADHD and neurodivergence, OCD, relationship and family concerns, workplace stress, cultural identity, immigration and adjustment, and life transitions.
She provides psychotherapy, not psychological assessment, diagnosis, or medication. The free 15-minute consultation is a practical place to ask about age, language, fit, fee, and current availability before booking a paid session.
You can review therapy in Hindi and Urdu at Anchor & Bloom, read Shima’s full profile, or use the consultation to hear how the conversation feels.
This article provides general information for multilingual clients in Ontario. Language preference and clinical fit are personal and should be discussed directly with the clinician.