Multicultural Care, now in paperback, offers a comprehensive, practical approach for enhancing a clinician's understanding of clients' contexts, developing a multicultural therapeutic relationship, and adapting a healing approach to one's clients' needs. Each chapter demonstrates the application of cultural competence to a different aspect of clinical practice: self-awareness, assessment, engagement, treatment, psychopharmacology and testing, folk healing, and general multicultural consciousness. Ample clinical vignettes are provided, along with clear, easy-to-remember tools for integrating multicultural sensitivity into clinical practice. Importantly, the book draws on research and the APA Multicultural Guidelines to support the models and principles, which are illustrated with clinical material. This book is a must-read for all clinicians.
Lillian Comas-Diaz, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in full-time private practice and a clinical professor in the George Washington University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Previously, she was a faculty member of the Yale University Department of Psychiatry, where she also directed its Hispanic Clinic. The author of more than 100 publications, Dr. Comas-Diaz is the coeditor of Clinical Guidelines in Cross-Cultural Mental Health (with Ezra Griffith, 1988), Women of Color: Integrating Ethnic and Gender Identities in Psychotherapy (with Beverly Greene, 1994), WomanSoul: The Inner Life of Women's Spirituality (with Carole A. Rayburn, 2008), and Women Psychotherapists: Journeys in Healing (with Marcella Bakur Weiner, 2011). She is the founding editor of Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, the official journal of the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minorities Issues (Division 45 of APA). In addition, she serves on several editorial boards and is an associate editor of American Psychologist. Dr. Comas-Diaz is a past president of Psychologists in Independent Practice (Division 42 of APA) and former director of the APA Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs.
Acknowledgements Introduction. Multicultural Care in Clinical Practice Chapter 1. Cultural Self-Assessment: Knowing Others, Knowing Yourself Chapter 2. Engagement: Telling Stories Chapter 3. Multicultural Assessment: Understanding Lives in Context Chapter 4. Cultural Analysis: Looking Through a Multicultural Lens Chapter 5. Multicultural Therapeutic Relationships: Seeing Yourself in the Other Chapter 6. Psychopharmacology and Psychological Testing: Engaging in Cultural Critical Thinking Chapter 7. Multicultural Treatment: Part 1. Fostering Empowerment Chapter 8. Multicultural Treatment: Part 2. Incorporating Culture-Specific Healing Chapter 9. Multicultural Consciousness: Extending Cultural Competence Beyond the Clinical Encounter Memoirs of Culturally Diverse Individuals Resources Glossary References Index About the Author
The book is well written and the content is strongly rooted in the most recent research available. The information is clearly and cogently presented; and, vignettes are effectively used to demonstrate the applicability and use of the information within a clinical context. Its clinical value is enhanced by the fact that the vignettes that are contained in each chapter serve as the basis for the culturally appropriate strategies and recommendations that are presented throughout the book. * Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology * Multicultural Care makes it clear that achieving cultural competence is a complex, continuous and developmental learning process. The book gives strong rationale for building cultural competence, translates concepts into actions, teaches skills and informs future directions. Comas-Diaz intended her book for graduate students, clinicians in training, novice therapists and seasoned practitioners, a wide audience to be sure, but all strongly advised to acquire and digest this needed and influential resource. * New England Psychologist *
