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Cultural Conversations in Therapy: How Often Clients Talk About Their Identities
Patty B Kuo1, Brendalisse Rudecindo1, Joanna M Drinane1
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (Kuo); Department of Educational Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City (Rudecindo, Drinane, Tao, Van Epps, Imel).
Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.)
|October 29, 2024
Summary
Clients from Black, Indigenous, and people of color groups discussed cultural identities more often in therapy. The frequency of these cultural conversations varied significantly between therapists.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Counseling
- Cultural Studies
Background:
- Understanding client-therapist dynamics is crucial in mental health.
- Cultural identity discussions are vital for effective therapeutic outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of cultural identity discussions in counseling.
- To investigate therapist-level variations in these discussions.
- To examine if clients identifying as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) engage more in cultural conversations.
Main Methods:
- Bayesian multilevel models were used for data analysis.
- The study included 10,731 sessions involving 1,997 clients and 72 therapists.
- Data were collected from a university counseling center.
Main Results:
- Clients reported cultural conversations in 48.4% of sessions.
- Sessions with BIPOC clients (66.2%) were more likely to include cultural identity discussions than those with White clients (39.8%).
- The disparity in cultural conversation frequency between client groups varied across therapists.
Conclusions:
- Cultural conversations occurred more frequently in therapy with BIPOC clients compared to White clients.
- Therapists played a role in the variation of cultural conversation frequency during treatment.
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