Diversity in Couple and Family Therapy: Ethnicities, Sexualities, and Socioeconomics

by Shalonda Kelly

Overview

This unprecedented volume provides a primer on diverse couples and families—one of the most numerous and fastest-growing populations in the United States—illustrating the unique challenges they face to thrive in various cultural and social surroundings.

In Diversity in Couple and Family Therapy: Ethnicities, Sexualities, and Socioeconomics, a clinical psychologist and couples and family therapist with nearly two decades' experience leads a team of experts in addressing contemporary elements of diversity as they relate to the American family and covering key topics that all Americans face when establishing their identities, including racial and ethnic identity, gender and sexual orientation identity, religious and spiritual identity, and identity intersections and alternatives. Moreover, it includes chapters on cross-cultural assessment of health and pathology and tailoring treatment to diversity.

Every chapter includes vignettes that serve to illustrate the nuances of and solutions to the concerns and issues, as well as the strengths and resilience often inherent in diverse couples or families. Effective methods of coping with stereotypes, intergenerational trauma, discrimination, and social and structural disparities are presented, as are ways to assess and empower couples and families. This text includes experiences and traditions of subgroups that typically receive little attention from being seen as too common, such as white and Christian families, or from being seen as too uncommon, such as couples and families from specific Native American tribes and multiracial couples and families. Thus, it addresses the curricular changes needed to master the diversity found in contemporary American couples and families.

The text offers a holistic perspective on diverse couples and families that is consistent with the increasing prominence of models that transcend individual diagnoses and biology to include social factors and context. Theory, policy, prevention, assessment, treatment, and research considerations are included in each chapter. Topics include African American, Asian American, Latino, Native American, white, biracial/multiracial, intercultural, LGBT, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim couples and families as well as diverse family structures. The depth of every chapter includes attention to subgroups within each category, such as African American and Caribbean couples and families, as well as those who represent the intersection between varying oppressed identities, such as an intercultural gay family, or a poor, homeless interracial couple. Additionally, each chapter provides a review section with condensed and easy-to-understand summaries of the key take-away lessons.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440833632
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/12/2016
Series:	Race and Ethnicity in Psychology
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	504
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.01(d)

About the Author

Shalonda Kelly, PhD, is clinical psychologist and associate professor at Rutgers University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

Part I Racial and Ethnic Identities

1 African American Couples and Families and the Context of Structural Oppression Shalonda Kelly Brittani N. Hudson 3

2 Asian American Couples and Families Lisa A. Suzuki Grace Wong Masako Mori Kyoko M. Toyama 33

3 Latino Couples and Families Melissa Rivera Marano Emily Roman 63

4 Challenges Faced by Native American Couples and Families and a Place-Focused Approach to Treatment Rockey Robbins Tahereh Ryland-Neal Shannon Murphy Chris Geis 91

5 White Racial Identity in Therapy with Couples and Families Hinda Winawer 121

Part II Gender and Sexual Orientation Identities

6 Gender in Couple and Family Life: Toward Inclusiveness and Equality Carmen Knudson-Martin 153

7 Sexual Minority Couples and Families: Clinical Considerations Beverly Greene Philip B. Spivey 181

Part III Religious and Spiritual Identities

8 Christian Couples and Families Suzanne M. Coyle Christina J. Davis 203

9 Socioreligious and Clinical Landscapes of Couplehood and Families in Orthodox Jewish Communities Isaac Schechter 231

10 Muslim Couples and Families Karen L. Haboush Nadia S. Ansary 259

Part IV Identity Intersections and Diverse Family Forms

11 Multiracial Families: Issues for Couples and Children David L. Brunsma Monique Porow 289

12 Intercultural Couples and Families Traci P. Maynigo 309

13 Diverse Couple and Family Forms and Universal Family Processes Brian Mundy Matt Wofsy 337

Part V Identity Models and Structural Systems

14 Identity Models Maryam M. Jernigan Carlton E. Green Janet E. Helms 363

15 Disparities in Mental Health Care and Homeownership for African Americans and Latinos in the United States Kiara C. Wesley 393

Part VI Cross-Cultural Assessment, Research, and Practice on Health and Pathology

16 Cross-Cultural Assessment and Research Sumie Okazaki Ariane Ling Stephanie N. Wong Ming-Che Tu 423

17 Conclusions Drawn from the Experts on Tailoring Treatment to Diverse Couples and Families Shalonda Kelly 453

About the Editor and Contributors 469

Index 475

What People are Saying About This

Monica McGoldrick

"Every couple and family therapist should read this book! There is no way to practice successfully without taking the diversity issues so richly discussed here into account. To understand ourselves as therapists as well as how our clients’ diverse identities influence their couple and family relationships, every therapist, teacher and supervisor will be greatly enriched by this outstanding text."

Jean Lau Chin

"Dr. Shalonda Kelly brings a fresh perspective on diversity to the treatment of families and couples. Structural oppression is an overarching concept, different for each group, but pernicious nevertheless, in its effects on people engendered through stereotypes, intergenerational trauma, discrimination, and disparities. Building on earlier approaches calling attention to therapist self-awareness and knowledge, this book introduces and emphasizes a process approach to cultural competence which focuses on interactional processes—going beyond the therapist-client dyad to the exchange among families, couples, and therapists. It is how the complexity of social identities and their intersection influence the therapeutic process that needs attention. Shared history and experiences related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and religion are all in the room. Hence, the concept of dynamic sizing—the ability to be flexible in individualizing knowledge of a client underscores the important balance between knowing the client and generalizing cultural-specific knowledge and worldviews of the group to which the client belongs. It is a book worth reading with key concepts and practical tools for culturally competent practice."

Nancy Boyd-Franklin

"This outstanding book will make a major contribution to the field of couple and family therapy by providing experienced and beginning therapists with a comprehensive, in-depth view of multicultural and diversity issues. All chapters and case examples are exceptionally well written and include areas such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, spirituality, different socioeconomic levels, and intersecting identities. It will be an excellent textbook for introductory as well as graduate-level courses in all programs training mental health professionals."

Editorial Reviews

A superb contribution to the literature in family therapy and cultural competence. . . . The book is quite comprehensive and contemporary in focus. . . . This book is a superb resource for family therapists, educators in family systems theory and therapy, and health care professionals. Graduate- and doctoral-level students will find this book a welcome addition to their personal libraries. Summing Up: Essential.” —Choice

“Kelly's text provides a comprehensive introductory overview to many aspects of diversity that may be addressed in the context of couple and family therapy. The variety in scope and depth of exploration varies chapter to chapter such that this work would be a valuable resource for undergraduate, graduate, and early career professionals. . . . There are many facets to Kelly's book that were appealing. Diversity in Couple and Family Therapy is not a textbook that conforms to the standard way of describing history and culture, but rather incorporates multiple perspectives that allow for those belonging to minority groups to feel that they may find relevant information pertaining to their specific identity.” —PsycCRITIQUES

From the Publisher