Psychoanalytic Theory and Cultural Competence in Psychotherapy

by Tummala-Narra, Pratyusha

• ISBN13: 9781433841880
• ISBN10: 1433841886
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2022-10-25
• Publisher: American Psychological Association

Summary

While psychoanalytic scholars often address specific aspects of diversity such as gender, race, immigration, religion, sexual orientation, and social class, the literature lacks a set of core principles to inform and support culturally competent practice. This approachable volume, now available in paperback, responds to that pressing need.

Drawing on the contributions of psychoanalytic scholars as well as multicultural and feminist psychologists, Pratyusha Tummala-Narra presents a theoretical framework that reflects the realities of clients’ lives and addresses the complex sociocultural issues that influence their psychological health.

Psychoanalytic theory proves to be particularly valuable in exploring unconscious processes, recurrent themes, and transference and counter-transference. In examining these questions, the author provides engaging case illustrations from her own clinical practice, as well as findings from her research with youth of immigrant origin.

Author Biography

Pratyusha (Usha) Tummala-Narra received her doctorate in clinical psychology at Michigan State University. She is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College; a teaching associate in psychiatry at the Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School; and in independent practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
 
In the course of her career, Dr. Tummala-Narra has held several academic and clinical positions in Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington, DC. Her research interests focus on the intersections of culture, race, gender, immigration, and trauma, and culturally informed psychotherapy practice. Her clinical scholarship has focused on psychoanalytic perspectives on the relationship between sociocultural context and identity and its influence on the therapeutic process.
 

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. A Historical Overview and Critique of the Psychoanalytic Approach to Culture and Context
2. Psychoanalytic Contributions to the Understanding of Diversity
3. Cultural Competence From a Psychoanalytic Perspective
4. Attending to Indigenous Narrative
5. Considering the Role of Language and Affect
6. Addressing Social Oppression and Traumatic Stress
7. Recognizing the Complexity of Cultural Identifications
8. Expanding Self-Examination: Cultural Context in the Life and Work of the Therapist
9. Implications of a Culturally Informed Psychoanalytic Perspective: Some Thoughts on Future Directions

References
Index
About the Author