Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy

Addressing Child Maltreatment by Infusing Multicultural, Feminist Tenets to Standard Clinical Approaches: The Cases of “Bashiir” and “Jaquann”

Rachel Singer, Rene DeBoard-Lucas, Milton Fuentes — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Multicultural psychology emphasizes the role of social, cultural, and gender forces in creating an individual’s identity; the social and cultural world in which they live; and the psychological strengths that different cultures have to offer. In a complementary way, feminist psychology highlights the importance of collectivist alternatives to mainstream, individualistic thinking in the U.S.; and the identification and dismantling of patriarchal power structures that oppress women. Combining these two in a multicultural, feminist approach to psychotherapy highlights the importance of relating to clients with an understanding of, sensitivity to, respect for, and responsiveness to their cultural identities and life situations. This also involves the therapist building on strengths that come from some cultures bringing a collectivist rather than an individualist orientation to life’s challenges, such as combating child maltreatment.

To illustrate the potential of a multicultural, feminist approach to psychotherapy in cases of child maltreatment among minority individuals, the present article offers two highly successful case studies. The first involves “Bashiir,” a 16-year-old African, first-generation immigrant young man from Somalia; and the second involves “Jaquaan,” a 15-year-old African American young man. Both clients were referred to therapy because of poor school attendance and academic difficulties, and associated symptoms consistent with a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. These symptoms derived from the clients having lived in poor, dangerous, high crime communities. A crucial component in both cases was the process by which the therapist employed the multicultural feminist approach to cross age, racial, gender, and socioeconomic-class lines to establish a very strong, trusting relationship between the therapist and the client; and between the therapist and the clients’ families.

Working with Siblings in the Treatment of Traumatized Youth

Renata Fire — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

In their manuscript, “Addressing Child Maltreatment by Infusing Multicultural, Feminist Tenets to Standard Clinical Approaches: The Cases of ‘Bashiir’ and ‘Jaquann,’” Dr. Rachel Singer, Dr. Renee DeBoard-Lucas, and Dr. Milton Fuentes (2024) exemplified how clinicians can be cognizant and respectful of the many familial, socio-cultural, and systemic contexts that contribute to a client's difficulties and that must be considered for successful treatment. As such, they made relevant clinical adjustments to overcome possible barriers to treatment and to foster safe, culturally responsive therapeutic environments. In this Commentary, I propose another clinical adjustment, congruent with a multicultural feminist lens, that has the potential to be beneficial to families that face barriers to parental involvement in treatment: working with the sibling subsystem. While interventions with siblings have received minimal attention in the clinical literature, work with the sibling subsystem has the potential of benefiting individuals and families alike, particularly in the context of trauma-focused therapy with youth. To illustrate how clinicians can work jointly with siblings, I propose pivotal themes and junctures in therapy with Bashiir and Jaquann where sibling involvement may be beneficial.

An Ecological Exploration of Addressing Child Maltreatment

Melissa Phillips — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

This commentary examines the cases of “Bashiir” and “Jaquann” (Singer, Deboard-Lucas, & Fuentes, 2024) through an ecological lens as it pertains to addressing child maltreatment. The authors of these case studies offered a robust case formulation that provided an enhanced understanding of culturally informed treatment in cases where child maltreatment was a factor. This commentary explores ways in which the authors skillfully illustrated the theoretical tenets that shaped the treatment interventions, and offers an examination of key elements for further consideration related to child maltreatment.

Embracing Deliberate Practice and Cultural Humility to Deepen Our Understanding of the Multicultural Feminist Approach: The Cases of “Bashiir” and “Jaquann”

Rachel Singer, Renee DeBoard-Lucas, Milton Fuentes — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

In this article, we respond with gratitude to commentaries from Dr. Renata Fire (2024) and Dr. Melissa Phillips (2024) on our cases of “Bashiir” and “Jaquann” (Singer, Deboard-Lucas, & Fuentes, 2024). Dr. Fire’s commentary encouraged additional reflection on the inclusion of siblings within the therapeutic context. Dr. Phillips explored themes related to the ecological model. In the following response, guided by multicultural feminist tenets, we reflect on the commentaries provided by our colleagues and offer additional feedback on strategies for increasing engagement of family-centered cases and expanding interventions through deliberate practice to include other systems, including siblings, broader structures, and current developments in the field.