Theoretical Background In individualistic Western cultures, the concept of enmeshment denotes that there can be too much loyalty and interdependence within a family; this idea intersects in challenging ways with the high degree of loyalty that is central to Arab family values. In varying cultural contexts, extreme togetherness may be preferred by family members as […]
Previous research has demonstrated a clear link between perceived racial discrimination and negative health outcomes for those perceiving and experiencing discrimination. The researchers studied the effect of “actual” racial biases on health outcomes of Blacks (i.e., African-Americans). They measured the predictive strength of Whites’ implicit and explicit racial biases on Blacks’ access to affordable health […]
The 2017 National Multicultural Conference and Summit (NMCS) celebrated its 10th anniversary this year and occurred from January 4th to 6th in Portland, Oregon. Also this year, the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy’s Diversity Committee was provided with funding for one member to attend NMCS. I was happy to attend this year as Chair […]
…the one point that the emigrant feels so particularly painfully is—one can only say—the loss of the language in which one had lived and thought and which one will never be able to replace with another for all one’s efforts at empathy. (Freud, as cited in Urdang, 2016, p. 156) Psychotherapists live and work in […]
An area of diversity often overlooked is socioeconomic status. Homeless clients are at an extreme end of the socioeconomic status continuum and present with concerns and stressors related to poverty. People often start psychotherapy due to a major stressor in their lives. Finally, after some apprehension, they make the initial leap to get help and […]
Diversity is an important thing to keep in mind as a multiculturally aware psychotherapist, but what about under served and socially marginalized populations? The difference between understanding diversity and understanding under served and socially marginalized clients is briefly highlighted in this video interview where Dr. Astrea Greig, diversity domain chair, interviews Dr. Beverly Greene, diversity […]
“It took me months to find you,” said Luciana, during her intake session, discussing the difficulty of finding a clinician with whom she could converse in her native Portuguese language. While there are mental health settings in the Boston area that serve Portuguese speaking individuals and families, these resources pale in contrast to the significant […]
One of my best friends is a skilled storyteller. During our internship year, she would regale the staff of the counseling center with tales of suspicious occurrences surrounding Area 51, the “secret” government location where UFOs are purportedly stored and studied. She would wax on about mysterious sightings and disappearances with oratory inflections akin to […]
The most consistent and robust predictor of outcome in psychotherapy is the quality of the client-therapist relationship (Lambert, 2013). While we know that therapists’ overall competence and client factors, such as motivation, are relevant and important to treatment, the client-therapist relationship is considered essential to effective treatment, at least in most therapies (Norcross & Lambert, […]