difficult dialogues: interviewer, white inner voice, and latina interviewee

6
Difficult Dialogues: Interviewer, White Inner Voice, and Latina lnterviewee Nicole C. Spanakis Clinical psychology trainees attain multicultural competence not only by read- ing the relevant literature but also by working directly with rnulticulturally di- verse clients.This article is an examination of this type of interactionthat oc- curred between the author (a doctoral clinical psychologytrainee) and a Latina. Aprendices clinicos de psicologfa alcanzan la cornpetencia multicultural no s610 leyendo la literaturapertinenteper0tambien trabajando directarnente con clientes rnulticulturalmente diversos. Este articulo es un exarnende este tipo de interaccidn que ocurrio entre el autor (un aprendiz clinico doctoral de la psicologia) y una Latina. his article is an examination of a multicultural interactions project be- tween a Greek American and a Latina over a 10-weekperiod. Training T for multicultural competence in professional psychology can be ac- complished through reading the psychological literature on race, ethnicity, and culture, but working in a direct interaction with someone who is multiculturally diverse can be an even more rewarding experience for a trainee. Research indicates that a significant contributor to multicultural competencies is actual experience with racial and ethnic minority people (Roysircar et al., 2003). biographical sketch of a 1 Rosa (a fictional name to protect privacy) is a 29-year-old Latina who volun- tarily agreed to participate in this training interactions project as the inter- viewee and gave her informed consent to have her story be a part of this article. Her mother was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States when she was 18 years old. Although Rosa and her younger sister were born in the United States, they lived in the Dominican Republic for short periods of time and visited family frequently. I heard her describe how differ- Nicole C. Spanakis, Department of Clinical Psychology, Antioch New England Graduate School. The author wrote an earlier version of this article as part of course work for the c h s Diversity and the Clinical Enterprise. She thanks Daisy Almonte for her assistance and support with this project. Corre- spondence concerning this article should be addressed to Nicole C. Spanakis, Department of Clinical Psychology, Antioch New England Graduate School, Keene, N H 03431-3516 (e-mail: [email protected]). JOURNAL OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT October 2004 Vol. 32 249

Upload: nicole-c-spanakis

Post on 13-Jun-2016

214 views

Category:

Documents


1 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Difficult Dialogues: Interviewer, White Inner Voice, and Latina Interviewee

Difficult Dialogues: Interviewer, White Inner Voice, and Latina lnterviewee

Nicole C. Spanakis

Clinical psychology trainees attain multicultural competence not only by read- ing the relevant literature but also by working directly with rnulticulturally di- verse clients.This article is an examination of this type of interaction that oc- curred between the author (a doctoral clinical psychology trainee) and a Latina.

Aprendices clinicos de psicologfa alcanzan la cornpetencia multicultural no s610 leyendo la literatura pertinente per0 tambien trabajando directarnente con clientes rnulticulturalmente diversos. Este articulo es un exarnen de este tipo de interaccidn que ocurrio entre el autor (un aprendiz clinico doctoral de la psicologia) y una Latina.

his article is an examination of a multicultural interactions project be- tween a Greek American and a Latina over a 10-week period. Training T for multicultural competence in professional psychology can be ac-

complished through reading the psychological literature on race, ethnicity, and culture, but working in a direct interaction with someone who is multiculturally diverse can be an even more rewarding experience for a trainee. Research indicates that a significant contributor to multicultural competencies is actual experience with racial and ethnic minority people (Roysircar et al., 2003).

biographical sketch of a 1

Rosa (a fictional name to protect privacy) is a 29-year-old Latina who volun- tarily agreed to participate in this training interactions project as the inter- viewee and gave her informed consent to have her story be a part of this article. Her mother was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States when she was 18 years old. Although Rosa and her younger sister were born in the United States, they lived in the Dominican Republic for short periods of time and visited family frequently. I heard her describe how differ-

Nicole C. Spanakis, Department of Clinical Psychology, Antioch New England Graduate School. The author wrote an earlier version of this article as part of course work for the c h s Diversity and the Clinical Enterprise. She thanks Daisy Almonte for her assistance and support with this project. Corre- spondence concerning this article should be addressed to Nicole C . Spanakis, Department of Clinical Psychology, Antioch New England Graduate School, Keene, N H 03431-3516 (e-mail: [email protected]).

JOURNAL OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT October 2004 Vol. 32 249

Page 2: Difficult Dialogues: Interviewer, White Inner Voice, and Latina Interviewee

ent things were there compared with the United States. Yet many of the things she described about her country were very similar to the traditions and customs in Greece, my parents’ country of origin. These similarities allowed us to find common ground on which we could establish a trusting relationship before ex- ploring our differences.

Rosa moved back and forth between the Dominican Republic and the United States and attended school in both countries. She recalled living in a bubble during most of her early childhood because she felt that she never had to face issues of discrimination. According to her, “At that time, I thought we were majority and we ruled.” She remembered having a few White classmates, but as soon as the school day ended, she only associated with her family and family friends. Rosa described her first experience of discrimination in the fifth grade with none other than an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher! She recalled being placed in an ESL classroom even though she already spoke and read En- glish. Her ESL teacher was a White woman, and she often made racial comments to Rosa. She even pulled Rosa by the shirt and yelled at her one day.

When Rosa entered the eighth grade, she and her family moved to a smaller state. She told stories about the increased incidents of discrimination that took place during this time in her life. She also found herself struggling with her identity. On one hand, Rosa’s family accused her of being disrespectful because she was trying to integrate herself into the American culture and did not want to adhere to her culture’s assigned gender roles. On the other hand, she was trymg to avoid becoming part of the ethnic cliques that her classmates were pressuring her to join.

Rosa experienced prejudice from her guidance counselor when it came time to apply to college. She felt that from her time in elementary school through her high school years, her teachers had never encouraged her to succeed. Although Rosa wanted to apply to 4-year programs, her counselor was insis- tent that she apply only to local community colleges. At the same time, she was not receiving support from her mother because her cultural background did not place an emphasis on women going to college.

Despite everything, Rosa successfully graduated from a 4-year college. Although she received a scholarship to help pay her tuition, Rosa worked three jobs while in college. This was a very sensitive topic for Rosa and led to conversations about affirmative action and how many people, even those who were educated, wrongfully assumed that she had a free ride through college. Rosa discussed how many people to this day make disrespectful comments regarding people who should go back to their countries if they do not speak English. She also recalled people in the medical profession screaming at her mother because she did not speak English very well. Rosa clarified that her mother was not deaf; she just needed them to speak a little slower for her to understand. We spent a great deal of time discussing the assumption that because someone is educated, they are also open-minded. In Rosa’s experience, this had not been the case.

250 JOURNAL OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT October 2004 Vol. 32

Page 3: Difficult Dialogues: Interviewer, White Inner Voice, and Latina Interviewee

As the weeks and sessions went by, the story about the ESL teacher increasingly infuriated me and made me realize that the education of minority students is ex- tremely important. Education essentially affects the entire life of these individuals- vocationally, economically, and socially. Casas, Furlong, and Ruiz de Esparza (2003) discussed increasing the participation of Hispanic parents in schools. In an effort to increase participation of Hispanic parents and facilitate their empowerment, Casas et al. gave examples of programs already in existence and guidelines to help school counselors achieve this goal. Parent involvement, in general, is an important prac- tice. Through Rosa, I realized the importance of helping ethnic minority parents so they would be in a position to help their children succeed and have the opportunities to be placed in successful jobs rather than dropping out of school.

Another related issue that Rosa and I touched on during the interviews was how money equals power in the United States. One of my realizations throughout this training process was that I took for granted all of the opportunities I had growing up. It broke my heart when Rosa would tell me stories about all of the after-school opportunities she missed because she had to babysit for her sister after school while her mother was working to support their family. Just as with this project, even though someone can learn a great deal in school, after-school activities can enhance a person’s development. I also realized how lucky I was to receive the education I did. I never felt as if my teachers “swept me under the rug” and automatically assumed that I would not succeed because of the color of my skin. Schools are supposed to provide a safe learning environment for all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

Rosa raised the issue of the negative attitude that many Latinos have about mental health concerns, assessment, and receiving treatment (see Aviles, 2003). Researchers have examined this issue across many different cultures. Comas- Diaz (1993) wrote that cultural context is crucial for effective delivery of psycho- logical services. Understanding Hispanic cultural values, family dynamics, health beliefs and practices, and the process of acculturation can increase the effec- tiveness of therapy.

The most important lesson I have learned from talking to Rosa is the effect of the color of one’s skin, something to which I had been the most blind. Growing up as a Greek American, part of me never understood why I was not treated as a minority person even though I am the first of all of my family members to be born in the United States. It occurred to me that I was automatically placed in a position of privilege because I am White (see McIntosh, 2001). Rosa told me that people always act surprised at her success in life because she is a Latina

JOURNAL OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT October 2004 Vol. 32 25 1

Page 4: Difficult Dialogues: Interviewer, White Inner Voice, and Latina Interviewee

who comes from a single-parent family. This common reaction made me won- der how much we tend to put people into categories to fit certain stereotypes, thereby setting them up to be perceived as being somehow less competent than other people. Helms (1995) offered a White racial identity theory to help ex- plain the pathways to a healthy identity for White people in their race relations with people of color. I believe that my experience with Rosa helped me progress through several levels of White identity development, moving from racial dis- tance and discomfort to racial awareness and acceptance.

What surprised me is that discrimination based on color of skin occurs between different cultures and also within cultures. Rosa recalled experiences of seeing many fights as a result of tension between F’uerto Ricans and Dominicans. She also re- called people within these cultures discriminating against each other because of the color of their skin. She said that within her own culture, darker skinned Dominicans are looked down on. At the same time, White people are also looked down on. This concept about attitudes toward race or ethnicity is theorized in the Minority Identity Development Model (Atkinson, Morten, & Sue, 1993), in which members of minor- ity groups have varying degrees of hostility or attraction to their own group, to other minority groups, and to the White majority. Negative race relations (also socioracial hierarchies, according to Helms, 1995) have been present a long time in the United States, and I clearly understood for the first time what this was like when Rosa said to me that she can never take off her skin to feel normal for a day or is never free of the worry about facing possible discrimination as a daily hassle.

To evaluate the quality of our relationship, both Rosa and I completed the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI; Tracey & Kokotovic, 1989) at the end of the 2nd, 6th, and 10th sessions. The lower the difference in scores, the stronger the alliance is. After the first assessment, our scores on the WAI differed by only 1 point. This was pos- sibly an unrealistic appraisal of the early phase of our relationship, or it may have indicated the trusting relationship that we formed early in our interaction because of our ethnic backgrounds. By the second assessment, our scores differed by 3 points, and by the third assessment, the difference was 8 points. Overall, I believe our respective work alliance responses were an accurate assessment of our ongoing re- lationship. The difference in our scores was so great after the 10th session because of a critical incident, which occurred during our last interview.

CRITICAL INCIDENT

Perhaps because of my comfort with Rosa by the 10th session, I began to chal- lenge some of her views, a challenge that sometimes was not received well by her. At our last meeting, Rosa spoke more generally about how she had been surprised

252 JOURNAL OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT October 2004 Vol. 32

Page 5: Difficult Dialogues: Interviewer, White Inner Voice, and Latina Interviewee

to find that, even though she is educated, she is still looked down on by many White people. This led to a discussion of how the way one dresses and speaks influences how one is treated. I told Rosa that sometimes when I go out wearing athletic clothes, I also feel as if I am treated differently compared with when I am better dressed. She did not respond well to my argument and said, KI thought you were supposed to just listen to me and not fight against what I am saying.”

Since that incident, I have thought a great deal about why I tried to univer- salize Rosa’s experience of discrimination or compare my experience with hers. In some ways I regret what I said, but in many ways I do not because it made me realize that deep down I still have a “White” voice inside of me that questions minority experiences. This interview process with Rosa taught me a great deal about myself as a White woman from an ethnic immigrant family, and I have found myself teaching my fellow classmates some of what I learned about how it must feel to be non-White, but at the same time, I realize that I will never truly know what it feels like because I am White. When I want to deal with racism and be sensitive about it, I can choose to do so, but as Rosa said, she can never take her skin off to feel normal for a day. When people give me strange looks or make a rude comment to me, my first thought will never be to wonder if they are discriminating against me because of the color of my skin. I am beginning to agree with McIntosh (2001) that being White limits my experiences and opportunities for growth.

FEEDBACK FROM ROSA

Rosa was given the opportunity to read through this article. She responded posi- tively to it and was impressed with the outcome of the whole process. She thought that I had done a good job of integrating her experiences into my learning. She also admired my open-mindedness to what I was learning through this multicultural interactions project. Rosa said she was glad that I had taken the time to go on this journey and experience ethnic and racial concerns firom someone else’s point of view. Rosa also commented about how she, too, realized how important it is not only to take into consideration someone’s culture but also to understand what it specifically meum to that individual to be from a particular ethnic and racial background. Over- all, the interactions project was a growing experience for both Rosa and me.

Atkinson, D. R., Morten, G., &Sue, D. W. (1993). Within-group differences amongraciaVethnic minorities. In D. R. Atkinson (Ed.), Counseling American minorities: A cross-cultural perspective (4th ed., pp. 19-40). Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.

Aviles, R. M. D. (2003). Multicultural issues in assessment: Assessment procedures with a Latina. In G. Roysircar, D. S. Sandhu, & V. Bibbins Sr. (Eds.), Multicultural competencies: A guidebook ofpractices (pp. 81-95). Alexandria, VA: Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development.

JOURNAL OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT October 2004 Vol. 32 253

Page 6: Difficult Dialogues: Interviewer, White Inner Voice, and Latina Interviewee

Casas, J. M., Furlong, M. J., & Ruiz de Esparza, C. (2003). Increasing Hispanic parent partici- pation in schools: The role of the counselor. In P. B. Pedersen & J. C. Carey (Eds.), Multicultural counseling in schools: A practical handbook (pp. 105-130). Boston: Pearson Education.

Comas-Diaz, L. (1993). Hispanic/Latino communities: Psychological implications. In D. R. Atkinson, G. Morten, & D. W. Sue (Eds.), Counseling American minorities: A cross-cultural perspective (4th ed., pp. 245-263). Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.

Helms, J. E. (1995). An update of Helms’s White and people of color racial identity models. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 181-198). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

McIntosh, P. (2001). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women’s studies. In M. L. Andersen & P. H. Collins (Eds.), Race, class, andgender (4th ed., pp. 95-105). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Roysircar, G., Webster, D. R., Germer, J., Palensky, J. J., Lynne, E., Campbell, G. R., et al. (2003). Experiential training in multicultural counseling: Implementation and evaluation of counselor process. In G. Roysircar, D. S. Sandhu, & V. Bibbins Sr. (Eds.), Multicultural compe- tencies: A guidebook ofpractices (pp. 3-15). Alexandria, VA: Association for Multicultural Coun- seling and Development.

Tracey, T. J., & Kokotovic, A. M. (1989). Factor structure of the Working Alliance Inventory. Psychological Assessment: AJournal of Consulting and Clinical Psycholoo, 7, 207-210.

254 JOURNAL OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT October 2004 Vol. 32