Immigrant Therapists’ Perceptions Of Transference, Countertransference, And Racial Experiences In The United States

<p>There has been a steady increase in the percentage of immigrant therapists in the US. In psychology doctoral programs, the number of foreign-born students has doubled between 1997 and 2016. The present study aimed to examine the perceived impact of therapists’ immigrant identity when working with US-born and foreign-born clients, as little research has been dedicated to this topic. Another central theme this study sought to explore was immigrant therapists’ perspective shifts on racial identity upon arriving in the US. Given that race is a social construct that is culturally bound, the study investigated immigrant therapists’ perceptions of racial identity and its impact on their personal and professional selves. A sample of eight recent immigrants who are advanced psychology doctoral students was interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed that despite demographic variance among the participants, they reported common experiences related to perceived transferential and countertransferential reactions and the role of racial identity in their personal and professional identities since arriving in the US. Additionally, several unexpected themes emerged from the data, including the participants’ sense of otherness in their countries of origin and its repetition in the form of immigration. The participants’ experiences shed light on conducting clinical work outside one’s home country and the specific adjustments related to working in the US. Implications and recommendations for psychology graduate programs, immigrant therapists, and therapists working with immigrants are discussed.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Malki-Schubert, Lian

Contributors dc:contributor

• Elliot Jurist
• Diana Puñales
• Santos Vales

• Immigration
• Immigrant Therapist
• Transference and Countertransference
• Racial Identity
• Clinical Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1104

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:cc_etds_theses-2186