Abstract
As the bilingual Spanish-speaking population in the United States (U.S.) steadily rises (U.S. Census Bureau in Language spoken at home, https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?q=United%20States&g=0100000US, 2020), the need for systemic therapists who are competent in working with Spanish-speaking clients also increases. While it is unrealistic to require all mental health practitioners to be bilingual English and Spanish speakers, systemic therapists can improve their understanding of the impact that clients’ native language can have on the therapeutic process. In this paper, we synthesize concepts from narrative therapy and linguistic relativity to provide non-Spanish-speaking clinicians with a unique perspective of case conceptualizations and therapeutic interventions for clients who natively speak Spanish. A clinical vignette is presented to illustrate the practical application of linguistic relativity informed systemic therapy. Potential theoretical and clinical implications of this treatment suggestion are explored.
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Smith, M.L., Nordfelt, R., Daley, J. et al. Not Just Semantics: A Synthesis of Narrative Therapy and Linguistic Relativity as Applied to Spanish-Speaking Bilingual Clients. Contemp Fam Ther 46, 100–111 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-023-09670-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-023-09670-z