A Qualitative Content Analysis of Cultural and Linguistic Factors in Clinical Supervision of Spanish-English Bilingual Counselors
Dosal-Terminel, Daniel
Citations
Abstract
Counselor educators acknowledge that the counseling profession has historically been complicit in preparing students to work with diverse populations (Arredondo et al., 2020; Dosal Terminel et al., 2024). Structural barriers like language and cultural mismatch may prevent people from pursuing mental health services (Seto & Forth, 2020). However, researchers investigating Spanish and English bilingual (SEB) counselors and counselors-in-training (CITs) have suggested that limited training programs and support resources are available (McCaffrey & Moody, 2015). Chapter 1 presents what is known about bilingual services, specifically SEB counseling practice, training, and supervision. The central thesis guiding this chapter is that evidence from investigations of SEB counseling supports professional programmatic changes in the recruitment, training, and supervision of SEB counselors. In Chapter 2, the responses of 17 clinical supervisors of SEB counselors and CITs are assessed, presented, and discussed. A Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) yielded five categories and 17 subcategories. Categories viii include (a) Considering language, (b) Approaching Spanish in supervision, (c) Evaluating the counselor’s Spanish skills, (d) Considering culture in supervision, and (e) Identifying bilingual services—moreover, an additional category and three subcategories: (f) Recommendation for others. Implications and future research are provided to continue advocating for programmatic shifts in SEB services.
