Counseling Diverse Clients: Bringing Context into Therapy / Edition 1

by Jeanne M. Slattery

Overview

This book helps future counselors and therapists understand the context in which they practice from and to learn how to evaluate the context their clients are coming from. It moves away from the traditional categorization of clients into one group or another based on race, ethnicity, culture, lifestyle, socioeconomic status or religion. Rather, it helps readers learn to practice with others different from themselves by evaluating the context or life circumstances from which their clients come. The book also provides a sound model for understanding and assessing the role that race, ethnicity, culture, lifestyle, disability and religion play in the client's life, and it gives concrete practice implications and skills.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780534563905
Publisher:	Cengage Learning
Publication date:	10/16/2003
Series:	Methods/Practice with Diverse Populations Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jeanne Slattery is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She is a clinical psychologist interested in the effects of culture and context on behavior. For several years, she has been involved with an in-home family therapy program that works with children and families who have been failed by the more traditional therapeutic approaches offered by our community mental health system. She works with the clients to acknowledge client strengths, identify healthy solutions, and build a strong support network.

Table of Contents

1. The Impact of Context. 2. Assessing Context. 3. Defining Culture and Context. 4. Oppression and Prejudice. 5. Values and Worldviews. 6. When Worldviews Clash. 7. Problems Resulting from Group Membership. 8. Engaging Clients in a Multicultural Context. 9. The Telling and Listening: Hearing Context. 10. Egalitarian and Empowering Relationships. 11. Making Meaning. 12. Blame, Responsibility and Control. 13. Finding Natural Supports: Both Outside and In. 14. Bringing it into the Community: Group Identity and Group Transformation. 15. Rediscovering a Sense of Balance. 16. Highlighting Themes. References.

Editorial Reviews

"The text is well-written and a joy to read. The author did a wonderful job of embracing various cultures in a positive, non-stereotypical fashion. The author's use of illustrations, case studies, and personal examples, made the text interesting and, at times, entertaining."


"The strength of the book is the in-depth emphasis on context. It goes beyond normal counseling skills or cross-cultural texts by considering a myriad of areas."


"The use of 'context' as a central theme but particularly the manner in which the author cogently delineates the layers of context relevant to these ethnic cultural variables is a plus. She has simplified the complexity of multicultural counseling issues without undermining or compromising important mediating variables. The manuscript provides a method of assessing and delivering therapy that minimizes the pitfalls of stereotyping individuals by ethnic groupings."

From the Publisher