Understanding the role of language in bilingual psychotherapy: clinical implications

Background/Objectives: Despite the growth of citizen mobility and the subsequent increase of bilingual individuals, psychotherapists widely believe that clients can communicate efficiently and directly in a second language. This belief has often obfuscated the struggles of bilingual clients and the implications on treatment. The purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives of bilingual therapists on the struggles that bilingualism presents in therapy and to investigate relevant clinical implications for both client and therapist. More specific topics explored as related to bilingualism were: (a) struggle…