Historically, clinical studies and literature on cross-cultural therapy have been provided primarily for the benefit of White therapists working with clients of color. This dissertation aspires to take an important first step in providing a resource for clinicians of minority backgrounds, by creating a replicable framework of which to examine facets of cross-cultural therapeutic alliances between two communities of color.

The current study explores factors that both facilitate and inhibit the formation of positive therapeutic alliances between Black therapists and Latino clients. Participants were 11 Black therapists and nine Latino clients who completed a Demographic Survey designed by the researcher, and Horvath's (1994) Working Alliance Inventory (WAI), online. The study was designed to solicit narrative information about participants' subjective experiences working cross-culturally in therapy, as well as measure the strength of their therapeutic relationships. Results found that Black therapists and Latino clients reported having positive therapeutic experiences with one another, and identified cultural competency, empathy, and mutual respect as traits that promoted a positive therapeutic alliance. Latino clients also noted the absence of cultural competence and/or empathy prevented therapeutic alliance from occurring.