Lillian Comas-Diaz

THE CULTURAL CONTEXT: A FACTOR IN ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING WITH MAINLAND PUERTO RICAN WOMEN

This study examined the inclusion of a cultural component in an assertiveness training program. Participants (n = 40) were low income Puerto Rican women. There were four training groups divided up according to educational level. In addition, there was a no-training group consisting of Puerto Rican women who did not receive assertiveness training. Ten sessions of an hour and a half each were conducted over a period of 10 weeks. The training program was evaluated using a translation of the Adult Self-Expression Scale (Cay, Hollandsworth, & Galassi, 1975) as a pre/post program measure of assertiveness; evaluation forms completed by recipients at the close of each session were also used for evaluation purposes. Assertiveness scores of the training group were significantly higher than those of the no-training group. In addition, this effect was true regardless of level of education. Session-by-session evaluation forms suggested that cultural context may be an important mediator of assertive behavior. Limitations of the study are discussed, and it is recommended that future research examine the role of cultural factors in assertiveness training.

Feminism and diversity in psychology: The case of women of color.

The contributions of feminist psychology to diversity are highlighted, focusing on the example of women of color. A historical overview of the confluence of feminism and ethnicism is provided, stressing the dynamic interplay between these two movements. The relevance of feminist psychology to women of color is assessed in addition to women of colors contributions to feminism. The role of women of color in the transformation and reformulation of an integrative feminist psychology is examined.

Cognitive and Behavioral Group Therapy with Puerto Rican Women: A Comparison of Content Themes.

Psychotherapeutic content themes in two distinct group psychotherapies, cognitive treatment following Becks theory and behavioral treatment following Lewinsohns model, conducted with Puerto Rican women were empirically observed. The findings revealed that there were no significant differences in the frequencies of content themes discussed in either group treatment modality. For both group treatment modalities, all content themes were discussed in the context of Puerto Rican values and value conflicts. Implications for psychotherapy with this group are discussed.

Humanism and multiculturalism: an evolutionary alliance.

Humanism and multiculturalism are partners in an evolutionary alliance. Humanistic and multicultural psychotherapies have historically influenced each other. Humanism represents the third force in psychotherapy, while multiculturalism embodies the fourth developmental stage. Multiculturalism embraces humanistic values grounded in collective and social justice contexts. Examples of multicultural humanistic constructs include contextualism, holism, and liberation. Certainly, the multicultural-humanistic connection is a necessary shift in the evolution of psychotherapy. Humanism and multiculturalism participate in the development of an inclusive and evolutionary psychotherapy.

Mainland Puerto Rican women: A sociocultural approach

This article examines a doubly oppressed group: mainland Puerto Rican women. Sociocultural and gender-related problems are analyzed within the context of cultural change. The crucial role played by the Puerto Rican woman in the transculturation of the mainland diaspora is pinpointed. Community paradigms relevant to psychological interventions with this group are discussed, and guidelines are suggested to the community psychologist working with Puerto Rican women.

2007 CAROLYN SHERIF AWARD ADDRESS: SPIRITA: RECLAIMING WOMANIST SACREDNESS INTO FEMINISM

I introduce Spirita, a womanist and mujerista spirituality. Spirita redefines spirituality as protest, resistance, and r/evolution. In contrast to feminist mainstream spirituality, Spirita places the interaction of race and gender at the center of womens lives. A way of knowing and being, Spirita endorses a universal perspective. Consequently, it promotes collective healing, international solidarity, and global social justice. Finally, I present how Spirita can enrich mainstream feminism by moving the subjective experiences of women of color from the margins to the center of feminist thought.

Puerto Rican Alcoholic Women

Clinicians need to be aware of the proliferation of alcoholism among Hispanic women. The clinical treatment of five alcoholics in a group modality is presented. The conceptualization and implementation of the treatment was developed within a sociocultural framework. Implications for working with Puerto Rican alcoholic women are presented.

On being a Latina healer: voice, consciousness, and identity.

A Latina psychotherapist relates her journey of becoming a healer. I discuss how my diversity status impacts on my life and on my approach to psychotherapy. My story offers clinical suggestions for therapists working with multicultural clients.

Psychotherapy as a healing practice, scientific endeavor, and social justice action.

The author discusses the evolution of psychotherapy as a healing practice, a scientific endeavor, and a multicultural empowering process. Social justice, the next force in psychotherapy, is presented. The author predicts that psychotherapy will embrace its sociopolitical nature by subscribing to social justice action. Within this framework, psychotherapists can work toward the promotion of political, social, economic, and cultural rights of oppressed individuals.