TY - JOUR
T1 - Therapist Self-disclosure and Culturally Competent Care with Mexican-American Court Mandated Clients
T2 - A Phenomenological Study
AU - Bitar, George W.
AU - Kimball, Thomas
AU - Bermúdez, J. Maria
AU - Drew, Cora
PY - 2014/9
Y1 - 2014/9
N2 - Therapist self-disclosure (TSD) is a skill with numerous potential benefits and risks for the therapeutic alliance. While its effects have been established, little empirical research has examined the impact of TSD in cross-cultural treatment settings with court-mandated clients, a context with unique considerations. In an effort to help fill this gap, results of a phenomenological study examining the effects of TSD on Mexican-American men working with Anglo American therapists in a mandated treatment setting are presented. The results of this study indicate that TSD is a culturally competent intervention with several benefits for mandated clients, including strengthening the therapeutic alliance, normalizing client problems, lessening the therapist-client hierarchy, and modeling the acceptability of self-disclosure. Clinical and marriage and family therapy educational implications are also discussed.
AB - Therapist self-disclosure (TSD) is a skill with numerous potential benefits and risks for the therapeutic alliance. While its effects have been established, little empirical research has examined the impact of TSD in cross-cultural treatment settings with court-mandated clients, a context with unique considerations. In an effort to help fill this gap, results of a phenomenological study examining the effects of TSD on Mexican-American men working with Anglo American therapists in a mandated treatment setting are presented. The results of this study indicate that TSD is a culturally competent intervention with several benefits for mandated clients, including strengthening the therapeutic alliance, normalizing client problems, lessening the therapist-client hierarchy, and modeling the acceptability of self-disclosure. Clinical and marriage and family therapy educational implications are also discussed.
KW - Court mandated treatment
KW - Cross-cultural counseling
KW - Cultural competence
KW - Masculinity
KW - Mexican-American men
KW - Therapist self-disclosure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84901552757&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10591-014-9308-4
DO - 10.1007/s10591-014-9308-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84901552757
SN - 0892-2764
VL - 36
SP - 417
EP - 425
JO - Contemporary Family Therapy
JF - Contemporary Family Therapy
IS - 3
ER -