An Investigation of European American Therapists’ Approach to Counseling African American Clients

Abstract

Interviews were conducted with 9 European American psychologists, asking them to recall their first 12 counseling sessions with a current or recent successful case with an African American client. Using consensual qualitative research (CQR) methodology, the psychologists revealed that they generally attended to differences in race between themselves and clients directly and openly within the first two sessions. This was done to acknowledge this difference and convey to the client comfort and trust; psychologists also intended to engender client trust and participation in therapy. The psychologists saw race as a central component to be discussed and continually attended to in establishing and maintaining a trusting and solid working relationship. They typically saw race-related issues as relevant to clients’ concerns. Despite wide variability in theoretical orientations and variety of client presenting problems, they typically reported using Rogerian core skills to engage the client and establish the relationship. However, they also reported using more culture-specific and sensitive interventions to deepen and strengthen the therapy relationship. These interventions included relying on their level of racial identity development to understand the client, being attuned to the client’s racial identity development and worldview, and attending to client reports of racism.

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