This mixed-method study explored how and when personal disclosures take place in bilingual therapy within a dyad that uses a shared native language of Spanish and a second-learned language of English. An explanatory sequential mixed methodology comprised of two phases was used. Phase one collected data from a quantitative 40-question online survey, (N=101), that was active from November 2020 – January 2021. Descriptive statistics, cross tabulations, plus the Ethnic Identity Scale-Basic (Phinney, 2003), and the Bidirectional Acculturation Scale (Marin & Gamba, 1996) were used to analyze survey data. Phase two was a qualitative semi-structured interview of participants who were recruited from phase one, (n=19). Interviews took place from February 2021 – May 2021, A constant comparative method using grounded theory was utilized to analyze interview transcripts (Charmaz, 2008; Corbin & Strauss, 2008). The results and findings support that a bilingual clinician experiences a language-based difference when making personal disclosure in treatment due to the immigration experience, identity with one’s ethnicity, level of acculturation to the host culture, and professional experience in providing bilingual therapy, specifically, ethnocultural and psycholinguistic considerations.

Authors:
Maria Pilar Bratko, Smith College, School of Social Work, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Maria del Pilar Bratko is an adjunct professor at the Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, MA, USA. Her research explores the use of a native language versus the second-learned language of a dominant culture in treatment.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-pilar-bratko-phd-lmft-573a639/

Additional website of interest
http://www.mariabratko.com

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