Interracial Couples and Counseling
Fay and Clark were an interracial couple new to a small town in upstage NYC when they entered marriage counseling. Recently married, they moved up there to “get away from the city” and start a family since both possessed online businesses that allowed them to relocate. They were only slightly concerned about their interracial status and had researched the town in advance, to make sure it was a progressive and open-minded place to live.
Once there, they found that while they weren’t have any overt trouble with the other people in their community, they weren’t making friends very readily either. Nobody seemed to be reaching out to them, although the couple tried to engage to the best of their ability, even joining a Thursday night bridge club (”I don’t think I even like bridge!” said Clark).
This lack of community started causing problems in their marriage, who were used to being social people in New York. They weren’t used to such a solitary life and spending so much time with one another. Plus, they couldn’t help but feel some quiet animosity from the people in the town, which made them both jumpy and defensive with one another.
Therapy helped them recognize the particular problems that interracial couples experience, since beforehand, they hadn’t really explored it much. As Fay said, “I didn’t realize New York was so open-minded. I took it for granted until we left.”
Fay and Clark slowly became part of the community and often wondered how much race was a part of their problem in the first place. “Sometimes, it’s tough being part of a small town. Just in general.” said Clark.
