Doing Therapy with Intercultural Couples: A Pastoral Theological Study of Premarital Counseling

Marital concord between couples from different racial and ethnic backgrounds is an issue that needs serious attention to bridge the vast chasms. America welcomes people from all over the world. People of all religions and ethnic backgrounds come here to study and migrants arrive here to work. Interracial marriages are common but the radically different background of each couple can create discords and prove to be bumps on the highway of conjugal life. This can have serious repercussions on the offspring and on the couple and their lives as well. This book seeks to investigate how cultural realities can be addressed within intercultural premarital couples counseling. Using a cultural focus approach couples stories around their particular culture and relationship were analyzed. Themes related to relationship family and social ties and parenting bi-cultural and bi-racial children were examined. Issues of religious and social influence money race ethnicity extended family immigration and biases in family of origin are explored as are roles and responsibilities communication respect trust and gender-stereotyping. The book adopts a pastoral theological approach in working towards a deeper understanding of premarital relationships of partners who represent cultural difference and diversity. In conclusion recommendations to therapists and care givers for counseling intercultural couples are made.