The therapist of color and the white patient dyad: contradictions and recognitions.
The therapist of color and White patient dyad often involves contradictions and recognitions which are acknowledged through the specific processes and dynamics permeating this dyad. The relationship between self and other is frequently mediated through projection and identification. This article examines this unique interracial and interethnic therapeutic dyad emphasizing its clinical implications through the attribution of otherness, the use of colored screen projection, and the significance of power reversal. Special emphasis is given to the prevalent transferential and countertransferential reactions aided by clinical material. It is concluded that this therapeutic dyad provides a model for cross-cultural encounters where the resolution of contradictions can lead to the recognition of paradoxes, the acknowledgment of ambivalence, and the acceptance of disparate parts of the self.
Comas-Díaz
L
L
Transcultural Mental Health Institute, Washington, DC 20036-6043, USA.
Jacobsen
F M
FM
D003379:Countertransference; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011613:Psychotherapy; D044469:Racial Groups; D014167:Transference, Psychology; D000078329:Workforce