Abstract:
In order to provide culturally competent and responsive care, therapists must demonstrate the ability to initiate conversations about race and ethnicity with clients. However, White therapists often report that they do not broach race with clients of color. White Racial Identity Development (WRID) offers a theoretical framework for anticipating and identifying how White therapist-trainees vary in their broaching behaviors. The relationships between WRID, reported broaching styles, and observed broaching behaviors have not yet been examined empirically. The current study tested the hypotheses that more advanced WRID would be associated with more advanced self-reported broaching styles and higher frequencies of observed broaching. Exploratory analyses examined the hypothesis that more advanced self-reported broaching styles would be associated with higher frequencies of observed broaching behavior. The sample consisted of 46 White-identifying therapist-trainees currently or recently enrolled in graduate school. Participants completed self-report measures and submitted audio-recorded responses for one “easier” and one “harder” video of a Black mock therapy client describing experiences of racism. Responses were transcribed and coded for explicit references to race, ethnicity, or culture. Results demonstrated that more advanced WRID was generally associated with more advanced self-reported broaching but had minimal association with observed broaching. Self-reported beliefs that broaching was unnecessary were lower for those who did not broach in the “easier” scenario, and self-reported anxiety about broaching was higher for those who did not broach in the “harder” scenario. Training implications include greater focus on facilitating White therapist-trainees to explicitly learn and practice broaching behavior with clients of color.
