Bilingual Therapy between Latinx-identified Therapist and Client: A Mixed-Methods Study to Understand How Latinx Therapists Utilize Personal Disclosure in Clinical Work with Spanish Speaking Clients

Alternative Title

Bilingual Therapy between Latinx-identified Therapist and Client

Author

Maria Pilar Bratko, Smith College

Publication Date

2022-5

First Advisor

Maria Torres

Second Advisor

Joan Lesser

Third Advisor

Sylvia Sussman

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

bilingual, therapy, supervision, disclosure, latinx

Abstract

This mixed-method study explored how and when personal disclosures take place in bilingual therapy within a dyad that uses a shared native language of Spanish and a second learned language of English. Personal disclosures have been a controversial practice since analysis became a practice (Freud, 1913) with broad opposing positions in support of, or against making them. However, neither position addresses the intersection of personal disclosures when treatment is bilingual, (Spanish and English in the current study).

The aims and research questions of the study are:

• Two aims:

1. To fill in a gap in the literature and was fulfilled by the creation of a conceptual model that illustrated how key areas involved in shaping the Latinx, bilingual, bicultural psychodynamic clinician’s personal and professional identities inform personal disclosures in the bilingual dyad.

2. To operationalize personal disclosures as part of effective treatment.

• Three research questions:

1. What factors inform the different ways bilingual clinicians make personal disclosures?

2. How do they understand these unique changes?

3. Do bilingual therapists change the content of their personal disclosures as a result of providing therapy in a shared native Spanish, (compared to providing therapy in their second learned language of English?

An explanatory sequential mixed methodology comprised of two phases was used. Phase one was a quantitative 40-question online survey that collected data from 101 bilingual clinicians currently practicing in both languages via general demographic questions plus two measuring tools, the Ethnic Identity Scale-Basic (EIS-B) (Phinney, 2003), and the Bidirectional Acculturation Scale (Marin & Gamba, 1996). Descriptive statistics and cross tabulations were used to analyze survey data. Phase two was a qualitative semi-structured interview of 19 participants recruited from phase one. A constant comparative method using grounded theory was utilized for the analysis of the qualitative data (Charmaz, 2008; Corbin & Strauss, 2008). The results and findings support that a bilingual clinician experiences a language-based difference when making personal disclosure in treatment due to: the immigration experience, identity with one’s ethnicity, level of acculturation to the host culture, and professional experience in providing bilingual therapy, specifically, ethnocultural and psycholinguistic considerations (Arriaza, 2015; Comas-Díaz & Jacobsen, 1991; Heredia & Altarriba, 2014, 2014; Javier, 2007; Marcos et al., 1977; Mirsky, 1991; Pérez Foster, 1999; Phinney, 2003; Rastogi & Wieling, 2005). These unique are currently not a part of regular coursework and supervision for bilingual work.

This study directly placed the Latinx, bicultural, bilingual clinician’s experience at the center of research, and in doing so, prioritized the needs of these clinicians and their clients. Training and supervision must be improved in the larger field of social work if we are to provide a higher quality of care to the growing Spanish-speaking population in the U.S.

Rights

©2022 Maria Pilar Bratko. Access limited to the Smith College community and other researchers while on campus. Smith College community members also may access from off-campus using a Smith College log-in. Other off-campus researchers may request a copy through Interlibrary Loan for personal use.

Language

English

Comments

xvii, 236 pages: color illustrations. Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-213).

Recommended Citation

Bratko, Maria Pilar, "Bilingual Therapy between Latinx-identified Therapist and Client: A Mixed-Methods Study to Understand How Latinx Therapists Utilize Personal Disclosure in Clinical Work with Spanish Speaking Clients" (2022). Dissertation, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/2637