ABSTRACT
Statements made by adolescents can be intense, reactive, and extreme without much thought of their long-term impact. Difference is a hallmark of the ever-changing adolescent culture. Working with adolescent families has its own particular context including individuation, and differentiation, and launching. Developing a posture of cultural humility with adolescents, other family members, and the family system is an important and foundational process. This chapter provides useful questions for exploring the adolescent culture of parents, therapists, adolescents themselves, and the implications between them. A review of each aspect of the ORCA-Stance with adolescent families provides more depth for embodying this humble posture. A case study is presented providing an example of practicing cultural humility. Each aspect of the ORCA-Stance is highlighted and questions are explored to foster empathy and connection during adolescent exploration, affective intensity, and identity formation. Best practice ideas are presented for coming alongside adolescents and their families. These culturally humble practices include problem wonderings, usefulness, family growth, expanding responses, and therapist not-knowing. Embodying the relational posture of the ORCA-Stance infuses relationships with humility and creates opportunities for adolescents and their families to explore their experiences, resources, and selves as they change during this developmental stage.
