Counseling Diverse Clients Bringing Context into Therapy

by Slattery, Jeanne M.

• ISBN13: 9780534563905
• ISBN10: 0534563902
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-16
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

This text 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 students 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.

Table of Contents

Preface	xxiii
Chapter 1 The Impact of Context	1	(9)
Looking at the Social Psychology of Therapy	3	(1)
Why Is Context Important?	4	(4)
Recognizing Context and Thinking Critically	5	(1)
Missing the Context in Therapy	5	(3)
Accepting Responsibility: Advantages and Disadvantages	7	(1)
Blaming Clients While Ignoring Context	7	(1)
Respecting Individual Focus and Context	8	(2)
Seeing Parts Versus Seeing the Whole	9	(1)
Chapter 2 Assessing Context	10	(22)
Choosing Places to Look	12	(4)
Two Examples: Rosa and Abbey	13	(3)
Assessing Context in Therapy	16	(10)
Family Genogram	17	(2)
An Example: Mervyn	18	(1)
Psychosocial History and the Community Genogram	19	(4)
An Example	20	(3)
Timelines	23	(4)
An Example	25	(1)
Bringing These Assessments Together	26	(1)
Interviewing for Context	27	(4)
Introducing Grays	30	(1)
Conclusions	31	(1)
Chapter 3 Defining Culture and Context	32	(28)
Universal and Focused Approaches to Therapy	33	(2)
Toward a Universal Approach	34	(1)
The Effects of Culture	35	(9)
Relative Roles of Individual and Cultural Differences	37	(2)
Limitations of Using Culture as a Predictor	39	(4)
Culture Influences Rather Than Determines	43	(1)
The Importance of Group Membership	44	(2)
Relative Importance of Different Group Memberships	45	(1)
The Effects of Euro-American Culture on Therapy	46	(4)
Normality: Perceiving the World Through Culture's Filter	48	(2)
The Effects of Context	50	(8)
Dangers of Perceiving Context	57	(1)
Conclusions	58	(2)
Chapter 4 Oppression and Prejudice	60	(24)
The Development of Group Divisions	61	(3)
Blaming the Victim and the Just World Hypothesis	62	(2)
Seeing Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination	64	(2)
Seeing Social Inequities and Social Control	66	(6)
Oppression	66	(3)
Privilege	69	(3)
Seeing the Consequences of Oppression	72	(3)
School Performance	72	(1)
Hope, Self Esteem, and Views of the Future	73	(1)
Psychological and Physical Health	74	(1)
Coping With Oppression and Being Outcast	75	(3)
Therapeutic Implications of Identifying Oppression	78	(1)
An Example	79	(1)
Consequences of Oppression on the Oppressors	79	(3)
Conclusions	82	(2)
Chapter 5 Values and Worldviews	84	(26)
What Is Valuing?	85	(3)
Barriers to Recognizing Values	86	(1)
Recognizing Others' Values	87	(1)
What Is a Worldview?	88	(1)
Significant Aspects of Worldview	89	(4)
Ontology: Explanations of Phenomena	89	(3)
Mutability: Obstacles to Change	92	(1)
Trust: The Nature of Human Relationships	93	(2)
Authority: The Nature of Helping Relationships	95	(2)
Group: Autonomy, Individualism, and Relationships	97	(2)
Locus of Responsibility	99	(2)
Locus of Control	101	(6)
Internal Responsibility/Internal Control	102	(1)
Internal Responsibility/External Control	103	(1)
External Responsibility/Internal Control	104	(2)
External Responsibility/External Control	106	(1)
Flexibility of Stance	106	(1)
Conclusions	107	(3)
Chapter 6 When Worldviews Clash	110	(25)
Clashing Worldviews	113	(2)
Sea chine for Consistency	115	(2)
Feelings and Attitudes About Those Who Are Different	117	(2)
Recognizing and Challenging Potentially Coercive Values	119	(2)
Coercive Effects of Therapy	121	(7)
Socialization to Therapy	121	(1)
Identification of the "Problem"	122	(1)
Identification of Treatment Goals	123	(5)
Negotiating Differences	128	(5)
Failing to Identify Options	131	(1)
Really Listening to Someone with a Different Worldview	132	(1)
Conclusions	133	(2)
Chapter 7 Problems Resulting From Group Membership	135	(31)
Therapists' Contributions to Problems	137	(7)
Translating Language and Ideas Across Worldviews	137	(2)
Objectivity in Diagnosis and Treatment	139	(2)
Therapeutic Stances with Culturally Different Clients	141	(3)
Clients' Contributions to Problems	144	(2)
Cultural Mistrust and Resistance	145	(1)
Therapists' and Clients' Contributions	146	(12)
Racial Identity Development	147	(8)
Racial Identity Development for People of Color	147	(4)
Racial Identity Development of Euro-Americans	151	(4)
Racial Identity Matches and Other Similarities	155	(3)
Other Variables Influencing the Therapeutic Alliance	157	(1)
Transference and Countertransference	158	(6)
Role of Racial Identity	159	(1)
White and Affluence-Related Guilt	160	(1)
Idealization of Others	161	(1)
Nonspecific Mismatches	162	(2)
Addressing Group Differences Successfully	164	(1)
Conclusions	165	(1)
Chapter 8 Engaging Clients in a Multicultural Context	166	(31)
A Model of Engagement in Therapy	168	(1)
The Importance of Distress	168	(1)
Expected Benefits from Disclosing	169	(1)
Costs of Change	170	(1)
The Value of Listening and Being Listened To	170	(7)
Potential Benefits of Warm and Empathic Listening	174	(3)
The Importance of Understanding Clients and Their Wordview	177	(2)
Developing a Therapeutic Alliance	177	(2)
Overcoming Initial Barriers to Understanding	179	(1)
The Value of Understanding Important Contextual Factors	180	(6)
Building a Cognitive Understanding	181	(2)
Ignoring Differences	183	(1)
Handling Contextual Differences	184	(1)
Bridging the Gap	185	(1)
The Benefits of Respecting Clients and Seeing Their Strengths	186	(4)
The Value of Seeing Hope in Clients and in Their Situation	190	(4)
Actively Demonstrating Hope	191	(1)
Concretely Demonstrating Hope	192	(2)
The Importance of Communicating Understanding to Clients	194	(1)
Conclusions	194	(3)
Chapter 9 The Telling and the Listening: Hearing Context	197	(15)
The Telling	198	(4)
Being Able to See the "Problem"	198	(1)
Stages of Change	199	(2)
Loss	200	(1)
Fear	201	(1)
Responses in Therapy	201	(1)
The Listening	202	(9)
Listening to the Client First	202	(3)
Just Listening	205	(1)
Listening for the Bigger Picture	206	(1)
Being Unaware of Context	206	(1)
Alternative Explanations	207	(1)
Choosing Stories	208	(3)
Conclusions	211	(1)
Chapter 10 Egalitarian and Empowering Relationships	212	(23)
What Empowerment Is	213	(8)
Voices: Lost and Found	216	(2)
Cultural Values That Influence Decisions to Empower	218	(1)
Finding a Voice	219	(2)
Hearing Their Voices	221	(1)
What Empowerment Isn't	221	(2)
Empowering the Individual and the System	223	(2)
Obstacles to Being Empowering	225	(6)
Being Helpful	225	(1)
Clients in Crisis	226	(2)
Directiveness: When and Why	228	(2)
Needs: Met and Unmet	230	(1)
Using Long-term Goals to Identify Empowering Interventions	231	(1)
Therapy as Mentoring	232	(1)
Conclusions	233	(2)
Chapter 11 Making Meaning	235	(26)
Meaning-related Health Outcomes	236	(1)
Post-traumatic Outcomes	237	(3)
Negative Post-traumatic Outcomes	238	(1)
Post-traumatic Growth and Positive Outcomes	239	(1)
The Meaning of Finding Meaning	240	(4)
Principle of Personal Deservedness	241	(1)
A Sense of Control and Hope	242	(1)
Disclosure or Isolation	243	(1)
Meaning-related Coping Strategies	244	(1)
Mode of Action	245	(3)
Many Paths to a Single Goal	248	(2)
Multiple Stories for the Telling	250	(1)
Choosing Stories That Heal	250	(2)
A Model for Making Meaning	252	(5)
Accept Clients' Meanings First	253	(1)
Develop Positive Meanings	254	(1)
Balance Responsibility with Control	255	(1)
Translate Insight into Action	256	(1)
Hopelessness and Courage	257	(3)
Visions of the Future	259	(1)
Conclusions	260	(1)
Chapter 12 Blame, Responsibility, and Control	261	(28)
Hypotheses in Therapy	264	(1)
Blame	265	(11)
Therapeutic Blame	265	(2)
The Criticism-Blame-Shame Cycle	267	(1)
An Example: Aaron, a Child with Tourette's Syndrome	268	(1)
Invisible Handicaps	269	(4)
Strength-based Genograms	273	(2)
Countertransference	275	(1)
Strengths	276	(5)
Normal Social, Developmental, and Cultural Constraints	276	(2)
Strength-based Approaches	278	(3)
Responsibility	281	(6)
Responsibility Versus Blame	282	(1)
Responsibility Versus Irresponsibility	283	(1)
Multiple Determination of Problems	284	(1)
Other-Blame and Self Blame	285	(2)
Conclusions: Finding a Balance	287	(2)
Chapter 13 Finding Natural Supports: Outside and In	289	(24)
Community Supports	291	(11)
Nature of Support	291	(1)
Consequences of Support	292	(1)
Differential Consequences of Support	292	(2)
Cultural Differences	294	(1)
Different Kinds of Supports	295	(5)
Culturally Appropriate and Creative Supports	299	(1)
Formal and Informal Supports	300	(2)
Ethical Issues	302	(4)
Real Versus Perceived Support	306	(4)
Internal Supports	307	(3)
Serving Community	310	(1)
Conclusions	311	(2)
Chapter 14 Bringing It Into the Community: Group Identity and Group Transformation	313	(25)
Personal and Cultural Self Esteem	314	(7)
Collectivism and Individualism	315	(5)
Group-centered Attitudes	317	(1)
Roles of Racial Identity and Culture	318	(2)
Culture-specific Development of Self Esteem	320	(1)
Culture-specific Self Esteem	320	(1)
Developing Cultural Self Esteem	321	(4)
Useful Attributions About Prejudice and Discrimination	321	(2)
Black Is Beautiful	323	(1)
Acknowledging the Bad While Accepting Self	324	(1)
Changing the Community's Meanings	325	(2)
Secondary Victimization	326	(1)
Transforming Community	327	(3)
Justice and Forgiveness	328	(2)
Helping Individuals Change their Communities	330	(7)
Teaching Pigs to Fly	331	(1)
Breaking the Silence	332	(1)
Taking Over Their Voice	333	(2)
Empowerment Versus Validation	335	(1)
Failing to Act	336	(1)
Conclusions	337	(1)
Chapter 15 Rediscovering a Sense of Balance	338	(22)
A Sense of Balance	339	(2)
Getting Out of Balance	339	(1)
Looking for Causes Solutions	340	(1)
The Way Back to Balance	341	(7)
Understanding Cultural and Developmental Norms	341	(1)
Making It Work	342	(1)
Using Psychosocial Histories	343	(1)
Finding Success	343	(3)
Doing Something Different	346	(2)
When Balancing Gets Difficult	348	(2)
Using the Tricks of the Trade	348	(1)
Attacking the Fear	349	(1)
When Doing the Same Old Thing Won't Work	350	(2)
Models and Mentors	352	(1)
Different Balance Points for Different People	353	(6)
Setting Mutually Agreed-Upon Goals	357	(2)
Conclusions	359	(1)
Chapter 16 Highlighting Themes	360	(13)
Listen for Context	361	(2)
Respect Individual and Cultural Differences	361	(1)
Denigrated and Pathologized Differences Among Cultures	362	(1)
Values and Their Effects on Assessments	362	(1)
Caricatures of Cultural Values	363	(1)
Recognize and Address Power Differentials	363	(3)
Oppression and Unearned Privilege	363	(1)
Social Justice	364	(1)
Give Up Power and Expertise to Be Effective	364	(1)
Accept and Use Power When It Is Helpful	365	(1)
Think Systematically	366	(5)
Provide Services Relevant to Clients' Lives and Worldviews	366	(1)
Help Clients Recognize Available Supports	367	(1)
Help Clients Regain Balance	368	(1)
Reconsider the Goals of Therapy	368	(1)
Clients' Fears of Change	368	(1)
Symptom Reduction Versus Good Outcomes	369	(1)
Risks of Culturally Aware Therapy	369	(1)
Use Safety Nets	370	(1)
Make the Journey Toward Cultural Competency	371	(2)
References	373	(28)
Author Index	401	(6)
Subject Index	407