Issues of Language and Culture in Family Therapy Training

‘My language thing … is like a big shadow always behind me’: International counselling trainees' challenges in beginning clinical practice

“…Overall the findings of this study are in line with previous research, supporting the notion that international counselling trainees face distinct challenges in practice. In particular, findings suggest that these ICTs encountered practical difficulties related to second language use, reiterating previously identified communication issues due to language barriers (Ilhan et al, 2012; Morris & Lee, 2004; Ng & Smith, 2009). The present study offers details on these problems: participants struggled with self‐expression in terms of articulacy, rapidity of responses and pronunciation and with understanding their clients’ speech, both due to purely linguistic elements (such as accents, unknown words) but also due to unfamiliarity with the subtle meanings of words embedded in the culture.…”

“…Acculturation difficulties and feelings of discrimination are experienced, both in counsellor education (Henfield, Owens, & Witherspoon, 2011; McKenzie‐Mavinga, 2005; Mittal & Wieling, 2006; Ng & Smith, 2009) and other subject areas (Chen, 1999; Church, 1982; Russell et al, 2008). Finally, both ICTs and international students face practical problems related to language proficiency and communication (Chen, 1999; Ilhan, Korkut‐Owen, Furr, & Parikh, 2012; Lewthwaite, 1997; Morris & Lee, 2004; Ng & Smith, 2009).…”

International Counseling Students in Turkey and Their Training Experiences

“…Apaydın-Şen (2008) found that international students did not have difficulty adapting to Turkish culture and did not feel alone or isolated, and researchers also have indicated that international students' utilization of services in Turkish university counseling centers was significantly lower than that of Turkish domestic students (Bektas 2008). These results suggest that the overall adjustment difficulties experienced by international students in Turkey seem relatively less than those reported by international students in the United States (Delgado-Romero and Wu 2010; Mittal and Wieling 2006;Morris and Lee 2004;Ng and Smith 2009), although, understandably, some adjustment issues are similarly experienced by all international students.…”

“…In addition, international counseling students have been found to experience issues specific to the counseling discipline, such as interaction with domestic counseling clients and supervisors (cf., Morris and Lee 2004;Ng and Smith 2009;Nilsson and Anderson 2004;Sangganjanavanich and Black 2009). However, these studies have been mainly focused on the experiences of international counseling students in English-speaking host countries where English was the students' second language.…”

The Assessment of Marital Adjustment with Muslim Populations: A Reliability Study of the Locke–Wallace Marital Adjustment Test

“…Haynes et al (1979) contend that assessment instruments are extremely important in that they facilitate the identification and specification of marital problems in addition to providing the basis for evaluating intervention effectiveness. Although there has been an increase in the multicultural makeup of both the marriage and family therapy (MFT) student population as well as the clientele served by MFTs, most assessment tools that are being used widely in the field are not multi-culturally sensitive (Morris and Lee 2004). The validity and reliability of commonly used marital assessments, for example, such as the LWMAT, were originally tested on predominantly white, Protestant individuals (Locke and Wallace 1959).…”