Publication Date

2015

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Psychic trauma-Treatment, Bilingualism-Psychological aspects, Cross-cultural counseling, Social work with immigrants, Multilingual, Social work, Trauma, Therapy, Language, Immigration, Transference, Transference (Psychology), Countertransference (Psychology), Countertransference, Qualitative research

Abstract

This exploratory study examines the experiences of social workers engaging in multilingual—Spanish and English—therapy with individuals who speak both Spanish and English, identify as Latino/a, have a history of trauma, and identify as having a history (personal, familial) of immigration to the U.S. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 10 social workers to gather qualitative data about their experiences engaging in trauma therapy with individuals who identify as multilingual as well as Latino/a immigrants to the U.S. The project examines ways that multilingual clinicians process trauma with individuals in more than one language; paying attention to the ways clinicians think about language in therapy, what they observe about transference and countertransference, as well as conceptualize their use of self. An enhanced understanding of clinicians' experiences of engaging in trauma therapy in two languages may support the development of ethical and appropriate services to marginalized newcomers, as well as contribute more information about how to provide high quality services for multilingual individuals and immigrant populations.

Language

English

Comments

iii, 83 pages. Thesis (M.S.W.)-Smith College School for Social Work, 2015. Includes bibliographical references (pages 70-73)

Limited Access until August 2020

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