Miguel E. Gallardo

Shifting perspectives: culturally responsive interventions with latino substance abusers.

In 2001, there were 35 million Latinos living in the United States. It is estimated that by 2050 Latinos will comprise 97 million people in the United States, or one-fourth of the U.S. population, establishing this ethnic group as the fastest growing and soon to be largest in the country (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). These numbers highlight the need for a multicultural paradigm shift, or the inclusion of culture-specific skills and culturally responsive interventions in psychological practice. Latinos face challenges as a racial/ethnic group that the traditional Euro-American model of treatment neither addresses nor validates. Unfortunately, substance abuse serves a purposeful function for many Latinos as a means of escape from the problems related to the social, environmental, and political structures. The current article adapts the model set forth by Parham (2002) as a strength-based therapeutic framework for intervention. The following stages are outlined to serve as the basis for most therapeutic encounters with clients from all racial and ethnic groups presenting with substance abuse problems: therapeutic alliance building, culturally appropriate assessment, sociopolitical awareness and liberation, creating collaborative change, and addressing sustainability of change.

Culturally Adaptive Counseling Skills: Demonstrations of Evidence-Based Practices

A key supplement for courses on multicultural counseling, this book is a practical volume that will help faculty and students see demonstrations of multicultural counseling in practice. The text covers evidence-based practices for working with five major ethnic groups, while weaving in other factors such as gender, disability, sexuality, and more. Each chapter has two case studies by an invited expert who also provides commentary and lesson drawing upon each case. The authors will generously donate a percentage of their book royalties to the following organizations: The National Latina/o Psychological Association, The Society of Indian Psychologists, The Samoan Community Development Center, The Association of Black Psychologist* and The 100 Black Men of Orange County*. * Donations to latter two organizations are given directly by the co-author to the organizations Features:

Integrating Ethical Considerations in Multicultural Curriculum and Training

This chapter provides a review of the literature on multicultural curriculum development, including the ethics of intersection and culturally responsive practices. We argue that the integration of the fourth (multicultural) and fifth (social justice) forces in mental health must be the epicenter of our training paradigms. Despite our best efforts to ensure that training programs continue to evolve to solidify an academic environment that reflects the environmental and contextual changes in society, many programs are unable to mirror their educational efforts with the ever-evolving demographic changes. As we continue to situate our training programs and students in ways that reflect the needs of ethnocultural communities, our desire to separate the personal from the political will no longer be an acceptable approach to training. The continued challenges in bridging much needed gaps in these areas are further discussed in this chapter and specific training models are presented.