Privilege Awareness Raising for Couple and Family Therapists: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis Part 1

ABSTRACT

In a qualitative exploration of privilege awareness for couple and family therapists (CFTs), findings provided information on two levels of processes presented in two articles as part of a series. This first article broadens the scope of privilege awareness of couple and family therapists (CFTs) to include any identity that holds power in society. CFTs were asked to complete timelines of privilege awareness experiences and participate in a semi-structured interview. In total, 12 therapists were interviewed. Thematic analysis revealed that the influence of close relationships on the process was a consistent theme that facilitated the privilege awareness process. Other common themes included exposure to diverse populations and experiences, processing emotions like guilt, shame, and anger, reconciling the privilege awareness process through evaluating the past, and seeing privilege awareness as a constantly evolving process. Findings provide groundwork for a theoretical model of privilege awareness raising in clinical training settings. Clinical and training implications are discussed in greater length in part two of this article series.

KEYWORDS:

• Privilege
• couple and family therapy
• theory
• qualitative
• thematic analysis

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