Category:

Assessing and Treating Culturally Diverse Clients

Course Description

This book quickly summarizes key practical guidelines that all clinicians can apply when assessing, diagnosing, or treating culturally diverse clients. The author accents clinical work with African American, Hispanic, American Indian, and Asian clients. Some of the topics covered include a description of cultural variables in the DSM-IV that may affect assessment and treatment across groups; explanations of epidemiological mental health data across groups; a discussion on how to apply data from culturally specific, biased measures; and a description of many of the important factors to consider during the delivery of treatment. This practical volume also offers guidelines for the prevention of attrition.

About Authors

Freddy A. Paniagua (Ph.D., University of Kansas; postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) is Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where he teaches cross-cultural mental health seminars with an emphasis on the assessment and treament of African American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian clients. In 1989, he received a 6-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to provide training to mental health professionals representing culturally diverse groups, with emphasis on the assessment and treatment of emotionally disturbed clients. He has published more than 40 scientific articles, including reports on basic and applied research as well as theoretical contributions, and two textbooks on multicultural issues that are widely used in mental health training programs in the United States and abroad.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the application of acculturation process to the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of clients from diverse cultural groups discussed in the book.
2. Explain the cultural variables that may affect the assessment and treatment of African American clients.
3. Explain the cultural variables that may affect the assessment and treatment of Hispanic clients.
4. Explain the importance for practitioners to examine their own biases and prejudices and describe what is the Self-Evaluation of Biases and Prejudices Scale.

Course Contents

  1. Minority, Race and Ethnicity Concepts
    • Minority Groups Versus Multicultural Groups
    • Discrepancies in Income Levels Across “Minority” Groups
    • Impact of “Minority” Groups on Other Groups
    • The Concept That “Minority” Equals “Inferiority”
    • Race Versus Ethnicity
  2. General Guidelines for the Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Culturally Diverse Clients
    • Development of a Therapeutic Relationship
    • Acculturation
    • Use of Translators
    • Overdiagnosis of Multicultural Clients
    • Extended Family
    • Foster Homes and the Extended Family
    • Modality of Therapy
    • How Much Information Is Necessary?
    • The Meaning of Therapist Across Multicultural Groups
    • Using Data From the 2000 U.S. Census in the Clinical Context
  3. Guidelines for the Assessment and Treatment of African American Clients
    • Cultural Variables That May Affect Assessment and Treatment
    • The First Session
    • Conducting Psychotherapy
  4. Guidelines for the Assessment and Treatment of Hispanic Clients
    • Terminology
    • Cultural Variables That May Affect Assessment and Treatment
    • The First Session
    • Conducting Psychotherapy
  5. Guidelines for the Assessment and Treatment of Asian Clients
    • Cultural Variables That May Affect Assessment and Treatment
    • The First Session
    • Conducting Psychotherapy
  6. Guidelines for the Assessment and Treatment of American Indian Clients
    • What Is an “Authentic” Indian?
    • Cultural Variables That May Affect Assessment and Treatment
    • The First Session
    • Conducting Psychotherapy
  7. Guidelines for the Prevention of Attrition with African American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian Clients
  8. Guidelines for Evaluating and Using the Epidemiological Mental Health Literature with Culturally Diverse Clients
    • Lack of Uniformity in Definitions of Mental Disorders
    • Lack of Cultural Validity
    • Failure to Examine the Perception of Racial Discrimination as a Cause of Emotional Problems
    • Bias in Reporting on the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders
  9. Taking Action
    • Examining Practitioner Biases and Prejudices
    • Being Aware of the Potential Effects of Racism
    • Evaluating Socioeconomic Variables
    • Minimizing the Sociocultural Gap
    • Distinguishing Culture-Related Syndromes From Cultural Variations
    • Asking Culturally Appropriate Questions
    • Consulting Paraprofessionals and Folk Healers
    • Using the Mental Status Examination in Cultural Context
    • Using the Least Biased Assessment Strategies First
    • Using Dana’s Assessment Model
  10. Using Cultural Variables in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
    • Cultural Considerations With Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention