Oliva M. Espin

The role of gender and emotion in women's experience of migration

Abstract This paper focuses on the emotional implications of the crossing of borders and boundaries, both geographical and psychological, implied in the process of immigration. It discusses the main issues and consequences of the process of crossing borders and boundaries for women immigrants in terms of country, transformation of gender and family roles, and language. Particular emphasis is placed on how these issues affect the emotional life and development of women and girls. The life narrative as an expression of as well as a tool for the study of emotions is discussed. The paper is based on data from a study on immigrant women conducted by the author. Some suggestions about aspects of these experiences that are yet to be explored are presented.

Multicultural Feminist Therapy: Theory in Context

SUMMARY Psychological theory needs to be representative of the full range of human experience by being based in the experience of all groups of people. The women honored in this chapter, Jean Lau Chin, Lillian Comas-Diaz, Oliva Espin, Beverly Greene, and Monica McGoldrick, are all feminist therapists, researchers, scholars, clinicians and writers who have directed some substantial portion of their professional attention toward understanding the critical nature of minority and dominant group status on the development of psychological and feminist therapy theory. Together, their professional contributions and personal stories provide a powerful understanding of the nature of the intersection of race, culture

“Making Love in English:” Language in Psychotherapy with Immigrant Women

This article deals with issues of bilingual and multilingual clients in therapy. It addresses the subtle and complex meanings of language choice and language fluency of the client and therapist.

… “An Illness We Catch From American Women”? The Multiple Identities of Latina Lesbians

This article reports the results of several small studies of Latina lesbians undertaken by the author over a period of twenty years. Using her personal experiences as a source of information, she also discusses the psychological implications of multiple identities for this population.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender psychology: an international conversation among researchers

This article reports on a conversation between 12 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) psychologists at the first international LGBT Psychology Summer Institute at the University of Michigan in August 2009. Participants discuss how their work in LGBT psychology is affected by national policy, funding and academic contexts and the transnational influence of the US-based stigma model of LGBT psychology. The challenges and possibilities posed by internationalism are discussed with reference to the dominance of the United States, the cultural limits of terms such as ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender’, intergenerational communication between researchers and the role of events such as the Summer Institute in creating an international community of LGBT psychologists.