Reference no: EM133510184
Vince is a 19 y.o. Black/African American man who is a college sophomore majoring in economics. He was born and raised in a small town in northern Michigan where he had limited contact with other Blacks/African Americans; he now attends a state university with a racially diverse student body. His father is 53 y.o. physician and his mother is a 51 y.o. elementary school teacher. Vince is the second oldest of three children, with an older brother in medical school, and a younger sister in high school.
Vince presented in counseling with a depressive reaction manifested by feelings of worthlessness, difficulty eating and sleeping, an inability to concentrate, and withdrawal from his usual social activities. He was conflicted about the source of his depression, initially citing "academic stress", but eventually revealing more about recent failed romantic relationships. Further exploration revealed a long-standing history of attempts to distance himself from his Black/African-American heritage. For example, Vince associated mainly with White people, frequently bringing home White girlfriends. He also stated that he never really thought of himself as "Black" until coming to college. During college, Vince became involved in two relationships with White women, both ending unsatisfactorily. The last break-up occurred abruptly three weeks ago when the young woman's parents threatened to cut off financial support for their daughter unless she ended the relationship with Vince; apparently, objections arose because of Vince's race. As Vince shared this information with his therapist, he stated with a mix of sadness and anger "She broke up with me just because I'm black!"
How might Sue & Sue's model of racial/cultural identity development (R/CID) be utilized in understanding Vince's depression and his racial identity development up to this point?
If Vince's therapist is European American and in the conformity stage of Sue and Sue's model of white racial identity development, how might the therapy relationship likely be impacted? Use Sue and Sue's model of R/CID and WRID--Please do NOT use a different model of RCID or WRID.
How might the therapy relationship be impacted if Vince's therapist is African American and, in the resistance-immersion stage of Sue and Sue's model of R/CID for people of color?