Cultural Conversations in Therapy: How Often Clients Talk About Their Identities

The purpose of this study was to examine how often clients report discussing cultural identities during counseling sessions; the extent to which discussion of cultural identities during treatment varies across therapists; whether identifying as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) predicts clients’ discussion of cultural identities in sessions; and whether differences in the frequency of cultural conversations (i.e., dialogue that focuses on client cultural identities) across client groups depend on the therapist.

This study examined variation in reports of engagement in cultural conversations during sessions (N=10,731) with 1,997 clients and 72 therapists from a university counseling center. Data were analyzed by using Bayesian multilevel models.

Overall, clients reported having cultural conversations in 48.4% of sessions. Cultural conversations were much more likely to occur in sessions with BIPOC clients than with White clients: 66.2% of sessions with BIPOC clients involved conversations about cultural identities, compared with only 39.8% of sessions with White clients. Of note, the magnitude of this difference varied by therapist.

Cultural conversations were more likely to occur in treatment with BIPOC clients than with White clients, and the presence of cultural conversations in treatment varied by therapist.