Growing up in the SWANA/MENA community, emotions were not something we discussed around the dinner table (or ever really). As a highly sensitive person I was always curious about emotions and the role they played in the relational patterns we find ourselves in, the decisions we make, and our overall wellbeing as humans. It wasn't until I started working as a community outreach coordinator with adolescent and adult immigrants and refugees that I realized I wasn't the only one struggling with emotional illiteracy. It was also there that I witnessed the unfortunate lack of access certain communities have to mental health services due to language, cultural, and systemic barriers. This led to me pursue a Master's degree in mental health counseling. Since then, I have worked in a substance use public rehabilitation facility, a community based counseling center, and in private practice providing quality services to a diverse population with an array of emotional issues.