Diversity
Explore the importance of diversity in psychotherapy practice and research. This section covers topics related to cultural competence, inclusivity, and the ways in which diverse perspectives enhance the therapeutic process.
143 articles found
Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Assist Individuals Facing Oppression
Many individuals in the U.S. experience oppression on the basis of their racial and/or ethnic identity, immigration status, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religious identity, language, etc. (Benner & Wang, 2014; Corbett & Hill, 2012; Maira, 2004; Unks, 1995; M. S. Williams, 2000). Further, many individuals hold multiple marginalized identities that […]
Sannisha Dale, Ph.D., Ed.M. + 1 more
September 2, 2018
Practice Recommendations for Psychotherapy With Gender Diverse Clients
Recently, the population of people who identify as transgender or gender diverse has become more visible in U.S. society. Likewise, there have been calls by psychologists and counselors for more research and scholarship related to gender identity and issues that people who identify as gender diverse might face or present with in therapy. Psychotherapists have […]
Julie M. Koch, Ph.D. + 1 more
August 18, 2018
Choosing to Work for a Community Health Center
Like everyone else I worked hard to get to where I am today, so why decline an offer from a prestigious hospital with an academic appointment to work at a community health center? There are a number of reasons why someone may want to work for a community health center including interest in working with […]
Astrea Greig, Psy.D.
August 18, 2018
Investigating the Effectiveness of an Interpersonal Therapy Intervention for Mental Health Conditions in India
The authors of this article aimed to provide empirical support for an interpersonal therapy intervention for decreasing levels of depression and anxiety for adults in a specific resource-scarce community in India. The team of researchers in the study include members of Columbia University Teachers College Global Mental Health Lab, which investigates empirically supported treatments for […]
Daria Diakonova-Curtis, Ph.D.
July 22, 2018
Ethnic-Racial Socialization, Cultural Identity, and Perceived Stress Are Related to Mental and Physical Health in African Americans
Background Health disparities have been gaining attention in recent years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Many health disparities have been related to social and cultural factors. The CDC has indicated that identifying population-specific precursors to health outcomes are necessary to reduce health disparities. To gain a comprehensive understanding of these disparities, racial socialization […]
Bianca Owens, M.S. + 1 more
May 4, 2018
Revisiting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, Address
April 4, 2018, marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, Tennessee. One of the nation’s most prominent civil rights advocates and leaders left a long-lasting impact on the world with his messages of civil disobedience and social change. His legacy prevails as society continues to strive towards […]
Apryl Alexander, Psy.D.
May 4, 2018
The Multicultural Orientation Framework
Abstract After several decades of slow progress, researchers are beginning to make advances in linking constructs based on the multicultural competencies tradition— especially those focused on qualities of the therapist—to therapy outcomes. The multicultural orientation framework was developed in response to several trends within the multicultural competencies tradition, with a particular emphasis on integrating the […]
Don E. Davis, Ph.D. + 8 more
March 27, 2018
Caucasian Therapist Self-Disclosure to Cultural Minority Clients
In offering further commentary to the article on Caucasian therapist self-disclosure to cultural minority populations, it is important to begin by more generally acknowledging both individual and between group differences. This is an important beginning because aspects of cultural competency are so often avoided as a larger subject through the statement ‘everyone is different.’ While […]
Graham Danzer, Psy.D.
March 11, 2018
Microaggressions in Psychotherapy
Microaggressions have been linked to reductions in psychological and physical health (Sue, 2010). The term racial microaggression is a term first utilized by Pierce (1970) to describe the subtle, jarring, typically automatic or unconscious, verbal and nonverbal exchanges; often perceived as understated, insulting “put downs” directed at people of color. Sue et al. (2007) did […]
TaShara D. Williams, M.A. + 2 more
December 30, 2017
Navigating the Minefield of Politics in the Therapy Session
If, indeed, the personal is political and the political is personal, where does that leave psychotherapists—whose profession is intensely personal—when clients voice strong political views counter to ours or when their political stress resonates with our own sense of a rending of the civic and cultural fabric of the country? In the aftermath of one […]
Patricia T. Spangler, Ph.D. + 3 more
December 30, 2017
Meaningfulworld’s Response to Suffering in Armenia
The landscape of the world is becoming increasingly connected and globalized. It is difficult to exist, even in the United States (U.S.), without hearing about the events happening across the globe: hurricane in Puerto Rico, earthquake in Haiti, war in Syria, mudslides in Sierra Leone, to name a few. Many of us living and practicing […]
Daria Diakonova-Curtis, Ph.D. + 1 more
December 30, 2017
White Therapist Self-Disclosure in Multicultural Contexts
Within the conceptual literature, multicultural therapeutic approaches have long recognized therapist self-disclosure as a skill or even competency (Bitar, Kimball, Bermúdez, & Drew, 2014; Henretty & Levitt, 2010). Self-disclosure has been discussed as an intervention that may build trust and credibility in cross-cultural contexts (Constantine & Kwan, 2003; Henretty & Levitt, 2010). Disclosure may suggest […]
Graham Danzer, Psy.D.
October 24, 2017