Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 54(2), Apr 2023, 115-124; doi:10.1037/pro0000497
We investigated the association between racial microaggressions and microaggressions against women in therapy and positive therapy outcomes. We also tested the potential intervening roles of cultural humility and working alliance in these associations. Participants were a sample of Black, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC; N = 288) who had been in therapy. The sample indicated initial symptom severity and completed the Racial Microaggressions in Counseling Scale, Microaggressions against Women Scale, Cultural Humility Scale, Working Alliance Inventory–Short Form, and the 10-item Schwartz Outcome Scale-10. Bivariate correlations indicated that both forms of microaggressions were negatively related to cultural humility, working alliance, and positive therapy outcomes. Additionally, both forms of microaggressions were negatively related to positive therapy outcomes through cultural humility and working alliance. Exploratory analyses found that (a) BIWOC clients reported higher levels of racial microaggressions from White, compared to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), therapists and (b) the links between both forms of microaggressions and cultural humility were moderated by the race/ethnicity and gender of the therapist, respectively. Cultural humility and working alliance may be important points of intervention in disrupting the impact of microaggressions on therapy outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)