“I’m someone who makes sense to my therapist, without me needing to contort myself”: A therapeutic dyad study with queer and/or trans Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color and their therapists.

Little research has evaluated the efficacy of therapy for queer and/or trans Black people, Indigenous people, and other People of Color (QTBIPOC). Given the emotional and mental health challenges associated with navigating intersecting forms of racism, heterosexism, and transphobia, therapy has been suggested as one potential avenue of support for QTBIPOC individuals. Some QTBIPOC clients suggest that therapy has the potential to cause further harm. While a client's perspective can provide meaningful information about therapy experiences, a clinician's perspective can help label specific interventions that are utilized. This study aimed to answer the following research questions: What are effective therapeutic practices and interventions, as perceived by QTBIPOC clients and their therapists? What factors strengthen the relationship between QTBIPOC clients and their therapists? Participants were three client-therapist dyads with an established therapeutic relationship. Interviews were conducted separately with each member of the therapeutic dyad. Utilizing critical constructivist grounded theory, the following core category was identified: By leaning into authenticity, challenging existing frameworks, and collaborating, therapists can dismantle power dynamics and promote QTBIPOC healing. The findings of this study offer important contributions to counseling psychology by advancing research on therapist authenticity and its role in deconstructing systemic oppression when working with QTBIPOC clients-an approach consistent with feminist and liberatory frameworks. Practice and advocacy implications are discussed, along with suggestions for future directions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).