Building a Bicultural Bridge

ABSTRACT

The balancing act of living between two cultures can have a significant impact on the development of adolescent Latinas living in the United States. Many adolescent Latinas, particularly second generation, live with two sets of cultural values that are often in conflict with one another. This case study illustrates the importance of understanding the impact of acculturation on the individual and the family. Issues of identity, biculturalism, and bilingualism—specifically the phenomenon of language switching—are dismantled in this case study to gain deeper insight into the unique experience that second-generation Latinas undergo when negotiating two cultural orientations. These findings are important to consider when working with the Latino population as they represent one of the largest immigrant groups and the most rapidly growing group in the United States.

KEYWORDS:

• adolescent
• biculturalism
• bilingual psychotherapy
• cultural identity
• language switching
• Latinas

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth Rodriguez-Keyes

Elizabeth Rodriguez-Keyes, PhD, LCSW, is associate professor of social work at Southern Connecticut State University. She currently teaches at the undergraduate and graduate social work program. She formerly served as the coordinator of the BSW program and currently chairs the Human Behavior in the Social Environment and Child Welfare undergraduate sequence courses. Current research interests are women’s issues, particularly Latinas, psychodynamic theory, practice and supervision with multicultural and vulnerable populations, curriculum development, and use of technology/hybrid model in social work education. Dr. Rodriguez-Keyes was the recipient of the Technological Teacher of the Year Award, 2013. She is on the editorial board of Journal of Family Social Work. She received her MSW from New York University Silver School of Social Work and her PhD from Smith College School for Social Work.

Julie Piepenbring

Julie Piepenbring, PhD, LCSW, is an adjunct faculty member at Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut. She is also the executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Adelbrook Behavioral and Developmental Services in Cromwell, Connecticut, and specializes in working with children and young adults from diverse backgrounds who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She received her MSW from Southern Connecticut State University Social Work Program and her PhD from Fordham University School of Social Work.