INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR COUPLES

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR COUPLES

Thank you very much for agreeing to take part in my study project here at Catholic Charities. This interview is a guided conversation about your experience with your therapist in couple therapy. Again, I want to remind you that what you say here will not be shared with your therapist or anyone at Catholic Charities. We want to learn from you so that we can improve our work with other couples, especially those of Mexican

heritage. Most of our conversation will be with the two of you together. At the end, I will ask each of you to step out briefly while I speak for a moment with the other person.

Remember if you feel uncomfortable with any question, you have the right to not answer.

Please remember that I will be taping the interview, so if you want me to stop the

recorder at a specific question or to stop the interview, just let me know. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask.

General Overview

 You said that your therapist is (Hispanic or White). What was your first reaction when you learned that your therapist was (Hispanic or White)?

o How might your reaction have been different if your therapist was [White or Hispanic]?

(Check with partner for his/her example.)

 You said that you have been attending therapy for at least three sessions. Can you

describe an experience that you consider was positive for you? What happened that you considered it positive?

 What did you see the therapist doing to make that experience positive? Give an example.

(Check with partner for his/her example.)

 Have there been times when you experience feeling more connected or having a

deeper relationship with your therapist? Give an example.

o Can you think of a time when your therapist seemed to understand you? Give an example.

o Do you think this was different because the therapist is (Hispanic or White)?

o Do you feel connected to the therapist as a couple?

o Do you have a sense that the connection with the therapist was better for one of you?

(Check with partner for his/her example.)

 Has there been a time when you felt that the therapist misunderstood you or when the connection between you and him/her was not so good? What did you notice happening that made you feel this way? Give an example.

Component 1: Acknowledging the pain of the cultural oppression

 Do you think your therapist is aware of the unfairness or discrimination that you

may have faced in your life? What did the therapist say or do that makes you think so? Give example.

 How do you think the therapist’s awareness (or lack of awareness) of your experiences of unfairness and discrimination affect the relationship between you and the therapist? Give an example.

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 Have you experienced any unfair, prejudiced, or discriminatory attitudes or

behaviors that make your experience in therapy negative? What did you see happening? Ask for example.

o How has this affected your relationship with your therapist?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 Can you recall a time when you displayed unfair or discriminatory attitudes and behaviors towards your therapist? What happened? How did it affect your relationship with the therapist?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 Your therapist is [male or female]? How do you think his/her gender affects his/her ability to understand you? Ask for an example.

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

Component 2: Engaging in acts of humility

 Have you noticed ways that your therapist shows humility when working with you? What did the therapist do? Ask for example.

o How did this humility affect your relationship with him or her? Ask for explanation.

o How do you think your therapist’s expression of humility is related to his/her being (Hispanic or White)?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 Can you recall a time when you displayed attitudes of modesty and respect towards your therapist? Ask for example.

o What did this mean to you?

o How do you think your modesty and respect affected your relationship with your therapist? How do you know?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 Have there been times when you felt that the therapist did not show respect or

modesty to you? What happened? Ask for example.

o How did this lack of respect or modesty affect your relationship with your therapist? With your partner?

Component 3: Engaging in mutuality

 Do you have a sense that you and your therapist share common experiences?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 What do you see happening to the relationship between you and your therapist when you feel this sense of shared experience? Ask for example.

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 Are there times that your therapist shares personal stories or feelings with you? Please give examples.

o How do you react?

o How does this sharing affect your sense of connection with, and being understood by, your therapist?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 Can you recall some of the most meaningful shared stories or experiences between you and your therapist? Ask for example.

o What was particularly meaningful?

o How has the sense of shared experience affected your relationship with your therapist?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

Component 4: Coming from a place of “not knowing”

What do you see happening to the relationship between you and your therapist when he or she is playing an expert role? Please give an example.

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 Can you recall a time when your therapist seemed to be interested in your knowledge or expertise? Please give an example.

.

o How did this affect the relationship between you and your therapist?

Please explain.

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 What might happen to the relationship or to the connection with your therapist when he or she acts as an “all knowing person”? Please explain.

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

Component 5: The process of becoming culturally attuned

 How have elements of your own culture, such as language, traditions, religion,

and so on, played a role in the way you experience a positive connection with your therapist? Please give an example.

 How has your awareness of the therapist’s culture affected your positive connection with him/her?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

 When you have felt the deepest sense of relationship with your therapist? What was happening? Please give an example.

o How do you think this particular experience impacted your partner and his/her relationship with your therapist?

(Check with partner for his/her experience.)

Brief Individual Interview Guide

 Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. What was this interview like for you?

 Were there some issues that were difficult to discuss with your partner present? Probe for examples.

 Is there anything that you would like to add that would help me understand your sense of relationship with your therapist?

 How does being in therapy with your partner affect the way you relate to your

therapist? Ask for examples.

o Are there times that your partner’s presence or how the therapist relates to your partner makes your sense of connection to the therapist more difficult for you? Better for you?

Probe regarding any issues that interviewer might have noticed that there might have been different perspectives from each partner.

APPENDIX H