Adolescents’ lives are now experienced in sophisticated digital environments, potentially warranting their consideration as a distinct cultural group. As such, clinicians who work with this population may be expected to be conversant with their clients’ digital habits to establish an efficacious therapeutic alliance and bolster treatment outcomes. We investigated linkages between adolescents’ social media habits and therapeutic alliance ratings based on perceptions of their therapists’ social media competency and traditional multicultural competency (MCC). Seventy-seven 14- to 17-year-olds currently receiving therapy services completed an online survey assessing their social media habits, perceptions of their therapists’ social media competency and traditional MCC, and ratings of therapeutic alliance. Adolescents’ perceptions of therapists’ social media competency positively predicted therapeutic alliance ratings, regardless of variations in participants’ social media use. A positive relationship was also found between perceived traditional MCC and therapeutic alliance ratings. Finally, preliminary validation for a newly adapted measure of therapists’ perceived social media competency was demonstrated. These findings may be among the first to establish social media competency as a contemporary form of MCC, which may inform new avenues for training and professional development for psychologists working with adolescents.

中文翻译：

---

青少年对其治疗师社交媒体能力和治疗联盟的看法。

青少年的生活现在在复杂的数字环境中体验，可能值得将他们视为一个独特的文化群体。因此，与该人群一起工作的临床医生可能会熟悉客户的数字习惯，以建立有效的治疗联盟并提高治疗效果。我们根据对治疗师社交媒体能力和传统多元文化能力 (MCC) 的看法，调查了青少年社交媒体习惯与治疗联盟评级之间的联系。目前接受治疗服务的 77 名 14 至 17 岁的青少年完成了一项在线调查，评估他们的社交媒体习惯、对治疗师社交媒体能力和传统 MCC 的看法以及治疗联盟的评级。无论参与者使用社交媒体的情况如何，青少年对治疗师社交媒体能力的看法都积极预测了治疗联盟的评级。在感知的传统 MCC 和治疗联盟评级之间也发现了积极的关系。最后，证明了对新调整的治疗师感知社交媒体能力的衡量标准的初步验证。这些发现可能是最早将社交媒体能力确立为当代 MCC 形式的发现之一，这可能会为与青少年一起工作的心理学家提供培训和专业发展的新途径。在感知的传统 MCC 和治疗联盟评级之间也发现了积极的关系。最后，证明了对新调整的治疗师感知社交媒体能力的衡量标准的初步验证。这些发现可能是最早将社交媒体能力确立为当代 MCC 形式的发现之一，这可能会为与青少年一起工作的心理学家提供培训和专业发展的新途径。在感知的传统 MCC 和治疗联盟评级之间也发现了积极的关系。最后，证明了对新调整的治疗师感知社交媒体能力的衡量标准的初步验证。这些发现可能是最早将社交媒体能力确立为当代 MCC 形式的发现之一，这可能会为与青少年一起工作的心理学家提供培训和专业发展的新途径。