Therapists’ Views on Working

With Bilingual Spanish-

English Speaking Clients: A
Qualitative Investigation
By: Azara L. Santiago-Rivera, Jeanette Altarriba, Norma Poll,
Normaris Gonzalez-Miller, and Carrie Cragun.

Present by : AIMIE NADIA BINTI MOHD NASIR (823132)

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

To explore how To explore their

bilingual therapists use perceptions of what
language switching in trigger language
therapy with their switching in their
clients. clients.
 Two Major Aspects

1. Explore how therapists use both English and Spanish in therapy and
identified ways in which they switch from one language to another.

2. Explore how bilingual therapists understand their bilingual client’s use of

English and Spanish in therapy and identified the direction of their client’s
switching from one language to another.
METHOD OF THE STUDY

▪ It is design for process-oriented research.

▪ Allows for comparison of data across cases

Consensual
Qualitative
Research (CQR)

Santiago-Rivera, Altarriba, Poll, & Gonzalez, 2004

PROBLEM STATEMENT
An aspect that has been largely overlooked in the development of such
approaches is the role of language in therapy with clients who are
bilingual. This is surprising, given that the Spanish language is the
vehicle for maintaining cultural traditions and remains the dominant
language spoken in most Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican American
homes (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2003). Furthermore, demographic
trends indicate that Latinos born and raised in the United States
(second generation) make up about a third of the total population, of
which 47% are bilingual ( Suro & Passel, 2003). This steady growth
suggests that mental health professionals will encounter more bilingual
Latinos seeking treatment. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important
to understand the role of language in therapy.
METHODOLOGY

Semistructured
Researchers Participants
Interview Protocol
• 4 researchers • 9 therapists • Scope of practice
• Female, Bilingual • Age 31-60 years • Background on the
Spanish-English old Spanish-English
• Familiar with the • Counseling bilingual speaking
CQR experience 4-28 clients served
years • Process of therapy
• Strategies used in
the therapy.
Procedure

Recruitment of Consensual Qualitative

Interviews
participants Research (CQR)
• A number of agencies • Each participants was • Transcribed the
that provide mental interviewed by two interview verbatim
health services to members of research and sent to the
Latino clients located team. interviewees for
in the northeastern • One will ask the review, comment and
United States. question while the final approved.
• Sent out an other took notes.
announcement about
the study to
approximately 25
professional contacts.
DATA ANALYSIS/ RESULTS

▪ The team established frequency of cases for each categories and

subcategories as follows:
 General = all 9 therapists
 Typical =5 to 8 therapists
 Variant (Occasionally)=2-4 cases
FINDINGS

▪ Therapists Language Switching ▪ Therapist Strategies

i. They were sensitive to the client’s
English language proficiency i. Build the alliance
ii. Typically switched to Spanish when ii. Engaging and redirecting
their clients switched first.
iii. More important, 4 of 9 therapists iii. Increase client understanding
reported it as “following the client’s and self awareness
lead”
iv. Occasionally, therapists switched from
English to Spanish when particular
word did not conceptually translate
well.
▪ Client language Switching

i. Linguistic issue
 Linguistic proficiency
 Familiarity

ii. Personal experiences

 Expression of emotion
 Identity

iii. Therapeutic process

 Improve communication and
increase connection
MY REFLECTION

▪ Identify why use Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method.

▪ Cannot identify what theory they used in this research.
▪ Get more information about Counseling and Psychology.