Bridging Language and Culture: Best Practices for Bilingual Counsellors Working with Immigrant Populations

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dc.contributor.authorDeng, Shiyu
dc.date.accessioned2025-12-18T20:33:29Z
dc.date.available2025-12-18T20:33:29Z
dc.date.issued2025-12-15
dc.description.abstractThis capstone project explores best practices for bilingual counsellors working with immigrant populations through a qualitative literature review. Grounded in linguistic code-switching theory and multicultural counselling theory, the study synthesizes current research to examine how language, culture, and identity interact to shape the therapeutic process. Findings reveal that bilingual counselling enhances therapeutic alliance, emotional expression, and client trust by allowing communication in clients’ preferred languages. However, bilingual clinicians face ethical and professional challenges, including blurred boundaries, transference, countertransference, and risks of burnout. The review identifies significant gaps in training and supervision, particularly in the Canadian context, where bilingual counselling practices remain underdeveloped despite the country’s linguistic diversity. Clinical implications outlined emphasize the intentional use of code-switching as a therapeutic tool, ongoing cultural humility, and awareness of intersectionality. This project concludes with recommendations for developing structured training, supervision, and policy initiatives to support culturally and ethically competent bilingual counselling practices.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11803/5086
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.institutionCity University of Seattle (CityU)
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
dc.rightsopenAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
dc.subjectbilingual counselling
dc.subjectcode-switching
dc.subjectmulticultural counselling
dc.subjecttherapeautic alliance
dc.subjectimmigrant populations
dc.subjectcultural competence
dc.titleBridging Language and Culture: Best Practices for Bilingual Counsellors Working with Immigrant Populations
dc.typeCapstone
thesis.degree.disciplineCounselling
thesis.degree.grantorCity University of Seattle (CityU)
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Counselling
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