The Case of “Rosa”: The Importance of Specificity in Our Quest to Integrate Cultural Competence in Practice

Abstract

This commentary explores Nicole Vigoda Gonzalez’s (2018) treatment of “Rosa” with Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), an attachment-based, relational, and experiential approach effective for treating attachment trauma. I discuss how AEDP also welcomes culturally competent strategies. My focus is the importance of specificity in the inclusion of culturally competent strategies in psychotherapy practice. Specifically, I address the difference between a Caribbean versus an Hispanic identification. I also explore the impact of culture, including race/ethnicity and familial discrimination, in Rosa’s case. Finally, I explore the impact of the therapist’s disclosure, or lack thereof, of her own race/ethnicity in the context of AEDP interventions.