Between the Cup of Principle and the Lip of Practice: Ethnic Minorities and American Psychology, 1966-1980.

By 1980, the previously held dichotomy of Black and White racial identity in America had yielded to a mosaic of red, yellow, brown, black, and white. During the 1960s and 1970s, identity, and thus psychological knowledge, were articulated and differentiated in terms of gender, sexual orientation, and class in unprecedented ways. In this article, the author contextualizes efforts to make mainstream American psychology more receptive to ethnic minorities between 1966 and 1980. Advocacy and activism by ethnic minority psychologists forced American mainstream psychology to yield a place at the table to non-White, non-European individuals. He emphasizes the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority graduate students and faculty, and concludes that many individual psychologists were important in forcing changes in these areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awards for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest.

Discusses the contributions of Hortensia Amaro and Florence L. Denmark, the 1992 recipients of the Awards for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest awarded by the American Psychological Association. Amaro is recognized for research and public policy leadership on behalf of ethnic minority communities and for advancement of issues confronting ethnic minority, particularly Hispanic, women. She is founder of the Latino Health Council, the Latino Health Network, and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition. Denmark is recognized for scholarship on the psychology of women; advocacy on behalf of ethnic minorities, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and gay men and lesbians; and writing on the pedagogical issues involved in integrating new scholarship on gender, race, ethnicity, and feminist and multicultural perspectives into psychology courses. Biographies of recipients are given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Skin color and the therapeutic relationship.

Although issues pertinent to psychotherapy with ethnic minorities have been attended to increasingly over the past two decades, the issue of skin color has more or less been neglected in the psychotherapy literature. The idealization of light skin color in mainstream White and ethnic minority communities in the United States has impacted a wide range of societal and individual perceptions ranging from physical attractiveness to intellectual and social competence. The relevance of this impact in the psychotherapeutic relationship is explored in this article. Skin color is addressed within an historical context, and its influence on intrapsychic and interpersonal processes in the lives of clients and therapists are discussed. Clinical vignettes are presented to illustrate the dynamics of skin color in the therapeutic relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The study of culture, ethnicity, and race in American psychology.

The study of culture and related concerns, such as ethnicity and race, in American psychology are examined. First, the conceptual confusion and ways in which culture, ethnicity, and race are used as explanatory factors for intergroup differences in psychological phenomena are discussed. Second, ways in which to study culture in mainstream psychology and to enhance hypothesis testing and theory in cross-cultural psychology are illustrated. Finally, the importance of examining sociocultural variables and considering theory in ethnic minority research is addressed. In general, it is proposed that by including theory, conceptualizing, and measuring cultural and related variables, mainstream, cross-cultural, and ethnic research can advance the understanding of culture in psychology as well as the generality of principles and the cultural sensitivity of applications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Culturally adapted psychotherapy and the legitimacy of myth: A direct-comparison meta-analysis.

Psychotherapy is a culturally encapsulated healing practice that is created from and dedicated to specific cultural contexts (Frank & Frank, 1993; Wampold, 2007; Wrenn, 1962). Consequently, conventional psychotherapy is a practice most suitable for dominant cultural groups within North America and Western Europe but may be culturally incongruent with the values and worldviews of ethnic and racial minority groups (e.g., D. W. Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992). Culturally adapted psychotherapy has been reported in a previous meta-analysis as more effective for ethnic and racial minorities than a set of heterogeneous control conditions (Griner & Smith, 2006), but the relative efficacy of culturally adapted psychotherapy versus unadapted, bona fide psychotherapy remains unestablished. Furthermore, one particular form of adaptation involving the explanation of illness—known in an anthropological context as the illness myth of universal healing practices (Frank & Frank, 1993)—may be responsible for the differences in outcomes between adapted and unadapted treatments for ethnic and racial minority clients. The present multilevel-model, direct-comparison meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies confirms that culturally adapted psychotherapy is more effective than unadapted, bona fide psychotherapy by d = 0.32 for primary measures of psychological functioning. Adaptation of the illness myth was the sole moderator of superior outcomes via culturally adapted psychotherapy (d = 0.21). Implications of myth adaptation in culturally adapted psychotherapy for future research, training, and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological perspectives on infanticide in a faith healing sect.

Discusses a faith healing sect with excessively high perinatal and maternal death rates from the perspectives of psychoanalytic and archetypal psychology, as well as the theories of L. Szondi (1956, 1963, 1969). The founder of the sect and his doctrines of faith healing are described, along with 3 families whose infants died from practicing the founder's methods. These conditions are also interpreted in light of Judeo-Christian monotheism. Findings have theoretical implications for the psychology of religion and for psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Demystifying the concept of ethnicity for psychotherapy researchers.

At a time when ethnic minority populations are increasing in the United States, few psychotherapy studies are including minorities in their samples. To include ethnic minorities in psychotherapy studies, the complex construct of ethnicity must be carefully measured. In this article, practical advice is offered for conceptualizing, measuring, and interpreting ethnic factors in psychotherapy studies. Also discussed are identifying pathways from ethnicity to psychotherapy outcomes. Pathways that may influence ethnic differences in psychotherapy outcome include cultural factors, minority status, socioeconomic status, acculturation, and immigration experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a comprehensive model of the school leaving process among Latinos.

The Latino population continues to have extremely high dropout rates compared to other racial and ethnic groups. This trend is particularly disturbing given the major demographic changes currently under way in this country, with a disproportionate share of the current and future growth of the US population due to the Latino population. Failure to reduce the dropout rates of Latino youth will have serious consequences in the near future. This article provides an overview of the literature on Latino dropouts as well as research and data needs in the study of this phenomenon. The article also contains a brief discussion of key policy issues that can be addressed with the development of research and data sources focusing on Latino dropouts. The authors conclude with a discussion regarding the urgency in reducing the high Latino dropout rate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Strength-Centered Therapy: A social constructionist, virtues-based psychotherapy.

This article describes Strength-Centered Therapy, a new therapeutic model based on the positive psychology of character strengths and virtues as well as social constructionist perspectives on psychotherapy. The contributions of the positive psychology of character strengths and social constructionist conceptualizations of psychotherapy are examined. In addition, the theoretical assumptions, applications, and limitations of Strength-Centered Therapy are discussed. It is argued that Strength- Centered Therapy might contribute to the revival of character strengths and virtues in psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues into mainstream psychology.

Despite the growing clinical and research literature dealing with gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) issues, mainstream psychology has tended to ignore much of the work that has been done in this area. This article illustrates how clinical and research writings on GLB issues continue to remain invisible to mainstream psychology in such areas as life span development and aging, teenage suicide, substance abuse, victimization and abuse, and family and couple relationships. It also deals with some of the determinants of well-being among GLB individuals, such as family support, and notes the benefits accruing to mainstream psychology from studying GLB issues. A network of family members within psychology having GLB relatives has been formed--AFFIRM: Psychologists Affirming their Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Family--and is dedicated to supporting its own family members, encouraging other family members to do likewise, supporting research and clinical work on GLB issues, and closing the gap between GLB clinical and research work and mainstream psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sol Garfield, have you not heard about family psychotherapy?

Responds to S. Garfield's (see record 1981-33210-001) article appraising the progress and claims of psychotherapy over the last 40 yrs. It is argued that Garfield failed to mention the impact and existence of the psychotherapeutic modality of family therapy and that his focus on the progress and claims of psychotherapy is thus incomplete. Garfield's exclusion of family therapy is seen as characteristic of the current interface between individual psychology and family theory. It is argued that it is possible to integrate individual psychology with systems theory and associated therapies and that such an integration and progression to systems thinking is a logical and necessary step in the development of psychotherapy. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology's response to managed care.

Managed care has had a significant impact on the field of psychology. In this article, a former president of the American Psychological Association and an early career psychologist discuss how managed care has affected the practice of psychology, the training of psychologists, and the perception of psychotherapy. They also review how organized psychology has responded to managed care and provide some insights on the future of psychology as it relates to managed care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

First impressions count: Ethnic/racial and lesbian/gay/bisexual content of professional psychology application materials.

This article will help you learn about using application materials as one way to attract incoming ethnic/racial and lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) minority graduate students. Such materials are often an applicant's first exposure to psychology programs and are typically overlooked as tools to be used to communicate multicultural information. The authors demonstrate that professional psychology training programs approved by the American Psychological Association that have application packets with more ethnic/racial and LGB content have significantly higher numbers of ethnic/racial minority students. The data from this study also indicate that programs are making small gains in using application packages to communicate ethnic/racial minority concerns and almost never mention LGB-related issues. Recommendations are offered to help professional psychology programs make better use of application materials to attract greater numbers of ethnic/racial and LGB minority students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

White culture, Jewish culture, and the origins of psychotherapy.

Multicultural literature often states that psychotherapy is a product of White culture. This article differentiates between White and Jewish culture and demonstrates the extent of the influence of Jewish culture on the origin and development of psychotherapy. The first section compares White culture to Jewish culture in terms of compatibility with the values and orientation of psychotherapy. The second section first demonstrates that psychoanalysis not only developed within Jewish culture, but also that it shares many features with Jewish mysticism. Then psychoanalysis and Gestalt psychology are compared to American behavioral psychology to demonstrate the differences in their orientations. The third section documents the contributions of Jews to psychological theory and psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The formative method for adapting psychotherapy (FMAP): A community-based developmental approach to culturally adapting therapy.

How is psychotherapy culturally adapted for ethnic minorities? Although there has been growing interest in doing so, few therapy adaptation frameworks have been developed. The majority of these frameworks take a top-down theoretical approach to adapting psychotherapy. This article introduces a community-based developmental approach to modifying psychotherapy for ethnic minorities. The formative method for adapting psychotherapy (FMAP) is a bottom-up approach that involves collaborating with consumers to generate and support ideas for therapy adaptation. It involves 5 phases that target developing, testing, and reformulating therapy modifications. These phases include (a) generating knowledge and collaborating with stakeholders, (b) integrating generated information with theory and empirical and clinical knowledge, (c) reviewing the initial culturally adapted clinical intervention with stakeholders and revising the culturally adapted intervention, (d) testing the culturally adapted intervention, and (e) finalizing the culturally adapted intervention. Application of the FMAP is illustrated using examples from a study adapting psychotherapy for Chinese Americans, but it can also be readily applied to modifying therapy for other ethnic groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of theory in psychotherapy.

Comments on the article by B. D. Slife and R. N. Williams see record 84-17550) concerning theoretical psychology as a new subdiscipline of psychology. It is stated that their analysis neglected to emphasize that theory can have an important role in guiding the practice and teaching psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reviving Freud's vision of a psychoanalytic science: Implications for clinical training and education.

Traditional assumptions about the analytic encounter have contributed to the detachment of psychoanalytic psychotherapy from the empirical movement that has dominated mainstream academic clinical psychology. However, recent research findings on the process and mechanisms of change within psychoanalytic forms of treatment now provide much needed empirical support for some of the basic tenets of psychoanalytic theory and practice, challenge long-standing notions regarding the link between therapeutic technique and clinical improvement, and suggest that factors once believed to be unique to psychoanalytic psychotherapy might be playing a crucial role in the promotion of change in other therapeutic modalities. The implications of these process research findings for the present state and future of clinical training and education are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A relational approach to group therapy for women with bulimia nervosa: moving from understanding to action

This article explains how the psychology of women can inform group treatment by translating relational theory (RT) into practice within a short-term outpatient bulimia group. First, the article provides a brief overview of a relational understanding of women's psychological development, the etiology and maintenance of bulimia nervosa, and group psychotherapy. Then, clinical vignettes illustrate the application of RT in practice through discussion of four main healing factors at work in the different stages of the group. Through promoting validation, self-empathy, mutuality, and empowerment, the leader helps group members identify and change relational patterns that have kept them connected with food and disconnected from themselves and others. The goal of treatment is to help members move toward mutually empathic and empowering relationships inside and outside the group.     

Clinical practice and scientific psychology: Can this marriage be saved?

Discusses the relationship of scientific psychology to the practice of psychotherapy. The use of research to change psychotherapy techniques is examined in each of 3 major orientations of psychodynamic, experiential, and behavioral psychotherapy. Common factors that may be responsible for the success of all therapies are described, and the controversy between those who see psychotherapy as a cultural ritual and those who see it as a scientifically-based procedure is reviewed. The consequences of a split between researcher and clinician roles in clinical psychology are predicted. It is concluded that scientific psychology and psychotherapy can together contribute meaningfully to society and a divorce would not be in the best interest of either discipline. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)