Working with multiracial clients in therapy: Bridging theory, research, and practice.

Abstract

The growing multiracial population has resulted in a need for professional psychologists to become knowledgeable about unique identity issues that may influence therapy with multiracial clients. The overarching goal of this article is to provide clinicians with current theory and research, as well as particular therapeutic strategies that will be useful in their work with multiracial clients. Specifically, this article (a) provides a brief review of some prevalent models of multiracial identity; (b) discusses several common themes derived from theory and research about multiracial identity, which should be taken into account when working with this population; and (c) offers some specific techniques and strategies that may be used in therapy to develop more accurate conceptualizations of multiracial clients. NOT THE PUBLISHED VERSION; this is the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript. The published version may be accessed by following the link in the citation at the bottom of the page. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol. 39, No. 2 (April 2008): pg. 192-201. DOI. This article is © American Psychological Association and permission has been granted for this version to appear in e-Publications@Marquette. American Psychological Association does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from American Psychological Association. 2 In 2000, the first year in which identification with multiple racial categories was permitted on the U.S. Census, nearly seven million individuals checked more than one box in describing their racial heritage (United States Census Bureau, 2001). Because of the increasing number of interracial families in the United States, it is expected that professional psychologists will begin to see more multiracial clients in practice (Buckley & Carter, 2004). Recent trends have pointed toward a greater level of visibility of research studies conducted with multiracial individuals in various disciplines within psychology, as well as within education, psychiatry, sociology, and social work (Miville, 2005). Nevertheless, there remains a dearth of literature regarding effective strategies for working with these clients (Wehrly, 2003). A content analysis of four major counseling journals over 10 years (1987–1996) found only three articles pertaining to multiracial populations (Steward, Giordano, Goldsworthy, Stallworth, & Stevens, 1998), and a more recent review of the same four counseling journals identified only five additional articles from 1996 to 2004 (Edwards & Pedrotti, 2005). This neglect is a cause for concern, and it calls attention to the need for a larger body of research about multiracial clients, as well as a need for specific strategies that can be used with this population. This article addresses these needs by reviewing research about multiracial identity and providing specific clinical strategies for work with multiracial clients. Research has shown that there are unique issues faced by multiracial individuals (Root, 1996), and that the identity development process differs in multiracial clients when compared to monoracial individuals (Gillem, Cohn, & Throne, 2001; Miville, Baysden, & SoLloyd, 1999). These differences may be due to the fact that monoracial models of identity “do not recognize the social complexity of adopting a biracial identity in a monoracially defined social world” (Miville, 2005, p. 303). Individuals who are multiracial often describe experiences of feeling alienated, unsure about self-identification, and frustrated with the tendency on the part of others to ascribe identities to them (Root, 1996). It is important that clinicians working with these clients understand challenges such as these and recognize that models designed for monoracial individuals may not be appropriate for use with this population. In order to begin to understand some of the unique issues related to multiracial clients, it is necessary to provide descriptions for this population, while simultaneously recognizing that NOT THE PUBLISHED VERSION; this is the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript. The published version may be accessed by following the link in the citation at the bottom of the page. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol. 39, No. 2 (April 2008): pg. 192-201. DOI. This article is © American Psychological Association and permission has been granted for this version to appear in e-Publications@Marquette. American Psychological Association does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from American Psychological Association. 3 each person may choose to label himor herself differently. In this article we have decided to primarily utilize the term multiracial to describe individuals “whose parents are of different socially designated racial groups” (Root, 1996, p. ix), noting that this label encompasses biracial individuals who have parents of two different racial groups. In instances where we describe theory, models, or studies about biracial or multiracial individuals, we have chosen to utilize the same terms as used by the original authors, as has been done in previous reviews (e.g., Miville, 2005). For a list of terms related to multiracial individuals, we suggest the glossary in Root's (1996) book, The Multiracial Experience. To achieve the goal of more culturally competent practice (American Psychological Association, 2003), it is necessary for clinicians to have awareness and knowledge about research highlighting the unique aspects of multiracial identity, and the skills to apply this research in various settings. Therefore, the overarching goal of this article is to extend the literature by providing professional psychologists with a comprehensive understanding of current theory and research in the area of multiracial identity, and by bridging this information with specific clinical strategies that allow for broader conceptualizations of multiracial clients. Specifically, we aim to (a) provide a brief review of models of multiracial identity; (b) discuss several salient themes derived from theory and research about identity development; and (c) offer specific techniques and strategies that may be used in therapy, in order to develop more accurate conceptualizations of multiracial clients. Finally, we will discuss future directions for applied research with regard to multiracial individuals. Models of Biracial Identity Researchers have sought to describe the process, often developmental in nature, whereby individuals make sense of their identities as racial beings (Coleman, Norton, Miranda, & McCubbin, 2003). Several models and descriptions of identity have been posited for multiracial individuals, and these have evolved over the years as new research has emerged and as our historical and sociopolitical climate has changed within the United States. In the following section, we briefly describe several models of identity and illustrate how the NOT THE PUBLISHED VERSION; this is the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript. The published version may be accessed by following the link in the citation at the bottom of the page. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol. 39, No. 2 (April 2008): pg. 192-201. DOI. This article is © American Psychological Association and permission has been granted for this version to appear in e-Publications@Marquette. American Psychological Association does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from American Psychological Association. 4 field has changed in its understanding of multiracial identity over the last several decades. We have chosen to highlight only selected models, and we encourage interested readers to consult Constantine, Watt, Gainor, and Warren (2005) and Miville (2005) for more detailed reviews.