ABSTRACT

You are a ten-year-old, biracial Puerto Rican and European-American male. Your father and grandmother are European American, and your mother and her family are Puerto Rican. You have just been placed in foster care by Children and Youth Services (CYS). This placement occurred because your grandmother had to go into the hospital and had no one to care for you while she was there. You have no memories of your mother or her family, as you have not seen them since you were three years old. You have had extremely limited contact with your father. He works on an oil tanker and only comes home once a year. He calls your grandmother once or twice a year and speaks briefly to you. You are being interviewed at a community mental health center.