Spanish-speaking clients' experiences in therapy

As the Latinx population in the United States continues to grow, psychologists should deepen their understanding of how to provide multiculturally aware services to this population focusing not only on English-Spanish bilingual trainees’, supervisors’, and therapists’ experiences. This phenomenological qualitative inquiry sought to answer the question: What are Spanish-speaking Latinxs clients’ experiences in bilingual or Spanish-only therapy? Eight Latinx participants who met age, language, and therapy experience criteria were interviewed. Participants expressed appreciation for the language-specific services and recommended that services be advertised better and made more accessible for other Latinx clients. They were also grateful for the opportunity to connect relationally with their therapists who they could trust and by whom they felt heard and understood. Most participants felt more connected with Latinx-identified therapists and believed this led to more effective therapy. While participants predominantly reported positive experiences, challenges and negative experiences were also disclosed and explored. Results are integrated with current scholarship. Discussion of the implications of the results for practice, research and training are included, along with the study's strengths and limitations.