Make New Friends but Keep the Old: The Sisterhood Bonds that Have Shaped Me

Abstract

The relationships in an Asian American psychologist's life have helped to shape her as a person as well as a professional. Specifically, a review of significant female relationships indicates that they have contributed to the author's therapeutic style. In this article, the author explores some of the relationships with other women in her life and illustrates how they have informed her role as a therapist. She concludes with a case vignette illustrating how some of these concepts were applied to a long-term therapy client.

KEYWORDS:

• art therapy
• group therapy
• person-centered therapy
• sand tray therapy
• spirituality
• systems therapy

Acknowledgments

The author would like to especially thank Dr. Lillian Comas-Diaz for her support of this manuscript and Ms. Kaitlyn Masai for her personal contribution of the supporting literature for this article.