It was only as recently as 2001 that The National Census of Population (2001) included the category ‘mixed race’ for the first time in a British context. By 2006 the UK census showed a percentage increase, stating that mixed race people occupied 14.6% of the minority ethnic population from the previous census. The current ONS (2011) census shows that this figure is up nearly 50%, to almost a million mixed race people in the UK, yet there is a scarcity of mixed race research within the therapeutic field, with no published evidence of empirical studies investigating the British perspective. The present study draws on social constructionist and post- structural thinking, to observe how mixed race clients manage and construct their identity within the counselling room. Using 8 female heterosexual mixed race participants in medium to long term therapy, the study utilised Charmaz’s (2006) constructionist grounded theory to investigate the emerging discursive practices produced between the client and therapist, as well as examining the influence of the therapist in the production of such practices. The present findings suggested 3 main categories which pertained to: the misrecognition of mixed race clients; the therapist’s negotiation of the mixed race narrative; ontological insecurity and the cosmopolitan self. The study’s findings propose the formulation of a mixed race counselling model, incorporating social scripts of relevant insights into mixed race identity. It also urges counselling and psychology organisations to revise their ethical frameworks to include race in a meaningful way, and for training institutions to ensure understandings of race and mixed race are assessed within the context of working with clients.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:632540 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Mooney, Angela Marilyn |
| Contributors | Bray, Diane ; Moon, Lyndsey |
| Publisher | University of Roehampton |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/studentthesis/the-elephant-in-the-room(f145fe2f-b983-4152-8c0f-9ed0fa6236cf).html |
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