Connecting with Clients across Cultural Differences [Online]

As people, we all occupy certain positions in different social dimensions, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. In many cases, the positions we as therapists hold in these social dimensions do not coincide with those of our clients. Thus, we have the task of developing effective therapeutic relationships with clients who are different from us. For that reason, it is important to identify and use strategies that would help us connect with our clients across these cultural and social differences.

In this workshop, participants will learn about common difficulties faced by therapists when establishing therapeutic relationships with clients from whom they differ, as well as strategies to overcome these challenges and establish strong therapeutic relationships. These strategies were identified in a phenomenological study on the clinical experiences of foreign-born couple and family therapist clinically active in the U.S. Although these strategies were identified in a specific population, this information can be useful to other therapists working with diverse populations. With interactive exercises, participants will consider the usefulness of these strategies in their own clinical work. The presenter will also lead a conversation for participants to share different strategies they already practice.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify common challenges faced by therapists when connecting with diverse clients
• Learn specific strategies to connect cross-culturally with clients
• Assess the applicability of these strategies to their clinical work

Presenter:

Dr. Alba Niño, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and an AAMFT-approved supervisor. Currently, Dr. Niño is an Associate Professor at the Couple and Family Therapy Program at Alliant International University-San Diego. As a bilingual (English/Spanish) therapist and supervisor, Dr. Niño has ample clinical and supervisory experience working with Latinx and immigrant populations. Dr. Niño has published and presented in different topics such as cross-cultural therapeutic relationships, person of therapist work in teaching and supervision, and post-traumatic growth.