Cultural Competence

The complexity of the multicultural room

In individual therapy, two cultures interact: that of the therapist and that of the client.

In couples therapy, the equation becomes more complicated, introducing at least three cultures into the room.

We can find scenarios where the therapist belongs to the dominant culture and both partners to a minority (same or different), or mixed situations where therapist and one partner share culture while the other does not.

Each permutation creates different power dynamics and understanding. For example, if the therapist and one of the members share the same dominant cultural background , there is a risk of forming an implicit alliance or taking certain norms for granted, leaving the other member isolated.

The practitioner must map these cultural intersections from the first contact to avoid invisible biases.

Specific cultural factors in relational dynamics

Culture is not just folklore; it defines the rules of the relational game. When assessing a couple, we must investigate how their cultural background influences critical areas.

Gender roles and the division of domestic responsibilities are often strongly shaped by tradition.

What is "collaboration" in one culture may be seen as intrusion into the other's role in another.

Other factors include communication styles (direct vs. indirect), displays of affection (public or private), family structure (the role of in-laws and extended family), and religious beliefs about marriage and divorce.

Ignoring how culture dictates views on parenting or power hierarchy may lead the therapist to pathologize behaviors that are normative in the couple's context of origin.

Therapist Cultural Awareness and Self-Assessment

Cultural competence is not a destination, but an ongoing process. It requires the therapist to maintain constant consideration of the client's frame of reference at every stage, from assessment to intervention.

This involves adopting a "don't know" stance, avoiding stereotypes and allowing the couple to educate the therapist about their specific reality.

However, it is not enough to ask; the therapist has an ethical responsibility to acquire prior knowledge about the cultural groups with whom he or she is working so as not to burden clients with the task of explaining everything.

Fundamentally, this requires a critical assessment of the therapist's own culture.

We must recognize that our own values about the "healthy couple" are not universal truths, but constructs of our own environment, and we must be able to bracket them so as not to impose them on our clients.

Summary

The multicultural room introduces complex power dynamics between the therapist and the couple being seen. Mapping these intersections avoids invisible biases that could unfairly isolate one of the clients.

Culture defines gender rules and communicative styles that impact everyday relational dynamics. Ignoring these factors can lead to pathologizing behaviors that are normative in their original contexts.

Competence requires constant self-assessment of the therapist's own values about healthy couples. Adopting a posture of not knowing allows one to truly learn from the specific reality of the current system.