There is a need for culturally attuned approaches for couple therapy with Mexican/Mexican-Americans. This qualitative grounded theory study utilized interviews with 11 client couples of Mexican heritage and 14 marital and family therapists to shed light on how Latino and non-Latino therapists co-construct positive experiences of cultural attunement with Mexican and Mexican-American couple clients. Analysis identified a model of cultural connection through personal engagement with four interrelated phases: (a) mutual invitation, (b) shared engagement, (c) expanding personal connection, and (d) creating cultural connections. Clients in this study valued professionalism and expertise of the therapist, but felt attuned to and respected when therapists demonstrated humility, shared personal stories and emotion, and engaged in a collaborative process.
© 2016 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.