For therapists & couples! We'll provide practical tools to facilitate meaningful conversations with your clients and/or partner(s).

Are you a therapist ISO CEUs? Check out our event page for more info.

Presenter Info

Emerald Aueyong, AMFT, APCC is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Professional Clinical Counselor. Emerald is a couples and sex therapist at Rouse Relational Wellness, supporting clients through a range of challenges, from relationship dynamics to individual struggles with anxiety and depression. She brings expertise in areas such as desire discrepancy, communication issues, and sexual trauma. Emerald’s approach is trauma-informed and utilizes evidence-based therapeutic models like CBT and SFBT, aiming to provide both insight and practical tools for growth.

General Information

According to the Pew Research Center, there has been a constant increase in interracial marriages in the United States. Interracial marriages have increased by five times, since 1967. In 1967, 3% of newlyweds had interracial marriages, whereas in 2015, the number increase to 17% of newlyweds (Pew Research Center, 2017). Moreover, Asians and Hispanics are most likely to have interracial marriages in comparison to Whites and Blacks (Pew Research Center, 2017). Interracial relationships consist of partners who come from different racial backgrounds, such as a Black-Asian couple or White-Latino couple. Aspects to consider when treating this population, ranging from cultural background, family upbringing, values, household traditions, and sexual worldview. In interracial relationships, there are many nuances that can lead to communication barriers, feeling misunderstood, less emotionally connected, and feeling dissatisfied in their relationship and sex life.

Taking a culturally sensitive lens, including sexual cultural taboos, is integral in providing inclusive sex therapy services to minority populations. The content presented is intended for therapists who are new to treating couples, particularly interracial couples. This presentation will be especially useful for clinicians looking to gain additional insight into treating individuals and couples who differ from their own racial background. Content will be introductory and beginning level. Attendees should have basic knowledge in what couples therapy entails and basic clinical practice.

Measurable Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to identify at least 2 theoretical approaches that would be appropriate when working with interracial relationships and understand its application in couples therapy.
2. Participants will demonstrate an understanding of two clinical interventions when working with interracial relationships.
3. Participants will describe at least three challenges that interracial relationships may face.
4. Participants will compare three similarities and differences between interracial and intraracial relationship challenges.
5. Participants will be able to analyze their own countertransference when working with diverse populations different from their own upbringing and identify areas of further reflection.