Naming and Navigating Matters: Family Therapists' Perspectives Facilitating Ethnic–Racial Socialization Practices With Latino Parents

Abstract

Persistent ethnic–racial discrimination in the lives of minoritized clients requires a better understanding of effective practices for family therapists working with Latino families. Ethnic–racial socialization (ERS) can help mitigate the adverse effects of discrimination; however, ERS practices are less known as a therapeutic tool, resulting in a critical gap in the existing literature and limiting the support that family therapists can provide to Latino families. In response, the current study investigated family therapists' lived experiences facilitating ERS practices with Latino parents in therapy. Semi-structured interviews with family therapists (n = 20) from 10 US states were conducted. A rigorous thematic analysis revealed two key themes related to the approaches used by family therapists for explicitly naming and navigating ERS-related conversations when working with Latino parents and families. The results can inform recommendations for promoting conversations related to race, ethnicity, culture, ethnic–racial discrimination, and immigration with Latino parents in family therapy.