Intrafamilial Separations in the Immigrant Family: Implications for Cross-Cultural Counseling

✍ Scribed by Daniel T. Sciarra

• Publisher: American Counseling Association
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 374 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0883-8534
• DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-1912.1999.tb00210.x

✦ Synopsis

identification with the dominant culture or to solidifl a boundary around the sibling subsystem, speaking in English would be more indicated. Even if the counselor is not bilingual, similar dynamics apply. The person the counselor allows to translate for another family member can be guided by structural concerns. Consider the following example from my practice:

Mr. J is a monolingual, Spanish-speaking father. Mrs. J is bilingual, dominant in Spanish. Their son and daughter are bilingual, dominant in English. Mrs. J tends to over function, whereas Mr. J seems uninvolved and marginal. In the early sessions, Mrs. J spontaneously translates for her husband.

Here, the counselor can intervene by blocking Mrs. J and requesting that her son translate for Mr. J. This intervention serves a dual purpose: It reduces Mrs. J's level of functioning and establishes more of a connection between Mr. J and his son. On the structural level, the goal is to reduce Mr. J's marginal position by establishing a father-son connection. On the acculturative level, the goal is to promote bicultural effectiveness in which father and son gain a mutual understanding and appreciation for the other's salient culture.

In the bilingual family, where it is assumed that there are various forms of cultural adaptation, language can be used dynamically by both monolingual and bilingual counselors to realign the structure of the family and to promote bicultural effectiveness, the ability to understand, appreciate, and feel comfortable in two cultures.

COUNSELING THE REUNITED FAMILY

Successful treatment for families in which parents and children have been reunited after many years of separation will consider both is- sues of acculturation and family structure.