The role of therapists’ cultural humility in multiracial challenges, pride, and improvement in counseling

Multiracial people identify with two or more racial/ethnic categories, which contradicts the U.S. societal expectation that we can fit each other into one, singular racial category (i.e., monoracial classification system). Multiracial individuals can experience difficulty, in the form of discrimination, exclusion, or identity invalidation, when encountering this classification system throughout life. At the same time, Multiracial individuals can demonstrate resilience to these stressors and a positive racial identity, even in the face of societal and interpersonal identity invalidation. Researchers have begun to consider ways of fostering resilience and positive racial identity for Multiracial people. One recent study found an association between caregiver cultural humility (i.e., openness, curiosity, and lack of superiority related to cultural identity) and positive outcomes for Multiracial children. In addition, there is substantial evidence in psychotherapy literature for the role of therapist cultural humility in positive outcomes for clients. Informed by this evidence, the current study investigated the role of cultural humility in outcomes for Multiracial adult clients in psychotherapy. Results indicated that Multiracial adult clients perceived positive changes in Multiracial pride and improvements in therapy when therapists were perceived to be higher in cultural humility. Clients also perceived a decrease in challenges related to Multiracial identity over the course of therapy when therapists were perceived to be higher in cultural humility. Additionally, the relationship between therapists’ cultural humility and Multiracial clients’ perceived improvement in therapy was stronger for those clients who endorsed lower Multiracial pride prior to treatment. Implications for practice and training are discussed.