Reference no: EM133512648
A therapist conducts an intake interview with a 20-year-old Black man named George who seems nervous and uncomfortable being asked so many questions. He answers them, but seems anxious and irritated at times and expresses concerns about the one-way mirror in the therapy room and who might be behind it. The therapist concludes that the prospective client is showing symptoms of paranoia, anxiety, and hostility, and considers a diagnosis of a personality disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophrenia. As the clinical supervisor, you ask the therapist to consider sociocultural context and to apply cultural schemas to the diagnostic process.
Do you agree or disagree with this response to the above scenario? why?
In the case of George, it appears that his primary therapist may be guilty of cultural countertransference or pseudo transference. According to Ridley (2005), cultural transference is a therapist's emotional reactions toward clients of different ethnic groups. Unfamiliar cultural mannerisms, expressions, and values can elicit feelings of discomfort that are projected onto the clients, resulting in the focus of therapy being about the therapist's projections rather than the client's problem (Ridley, 2005). Similarly, pseudo-transference is "when a minority client is labeled pathological when reacting defensively to a therapist's racist attitudes or actions, such as stereotyping or a microaggression (Ridley, 2005)." By fixating on George's behavior under observation in the therapy room, the primary therapist is liable to misdiagnose his behavior as pathological, when it may indeed be a reasonable response to the situation he finds himself in (Ridley, 2000). In order to better serve George, I would recommend that the primary therapist undergo additional multicultural training to learn more about cultural schemas and counteracting cultural countertransference and pseudo-transference. This would help break down some of the assumptions the primary therapist has, and allow them to better serve clients of different races and cultures.