Counseling Multiracial Families: Multicultural Aspects of Counseling Series 12

Multiracial families (families in which one member of the family has a different racial heritage than the other member(s) of the family) comprise a rapidly growing U.S. population. Counseling Multiracial Families addresses this population that has been neglected in the counseling literature. In the first chapter, readers are given a comprehensive history of racial mixing in the United States special needs and issues of multiracial families as well as special strengths of multiracial families are addressed. Challenges of interracially married couples are explored as are the social and cultural issues related to parenting and child rearing of multiracial children in today′s society. The results of biracial identity development research are translated into counseling practice with the children, adolescents, and adults in multiracial families.

Dr. Bea Wehrly is a pioneer. As the first woman to complete a Ph.D. in the Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education at Texas A&M University, her work has been cited on behalf of women in the counseling profession. As a distinguished professor emeritus of Western Illinois University’s department of counselor education and college student personnel, her scholarly work in the area of cross-cultural counseling and contributions in the areas of multicultural understanding and career development have significantly influenced what is known today as multicultural counseling. She is credited with implementing an elementary school guidance program at Western and organizing six international study programs. She and her husband, Jim, endowed the Wehrly Scholarship in 1991 to benefit undergraduate students participating in volunteer efforts that impact favorably on basic human rights. In 1999, Bea helped establish the innovative Educators for Tomorrow Scholarship to assist students of diverse racial heritages pursuing careers in education.