The guijin therapist and the nature of therapeutic truth: A relational perspective

The professional literature is replete with examples of the benefits of the client-clinician dyad being of the same ethnic group. Noted advantages include a perceived implicit understanding of the client's subjective experience and a furthering of the therapist's personal and professional growth as a result of the therapeutic interaction. This paper suggests that there are also benefits to the clinician being considered a guijin or "outsider" to the client's culture of origin. Utilizing a relational perspective with an emphasis on multiple self-state theory, this paper will discuss the advantages of being perceived as an outsider when working with an Asian bicultural client.