Continuing education in cultural competence for community mental health practitioners.

Continuing education in cultural competence is a key strategy for enhancing provider effectiveness in working with culturally diverse clients. In the mental health field, a majority of published works address training issues related to students in graduate programs. Few articles, however, discuss specific models or methods of continuing education for practitioners working in community-based settings. The authors present a case example of an interactive workshop in cultural competence for community mental health practitioners. They discuss key modules of this workshop, including (a) cultural competence and outreach principles, (b) cultural identity and worldview, (c) stereotyping and automatic thinking, (d) dynamics of difference, and (e) application exercises. Recommendations are offered for administrators, direct care staff, trainers, and researchers who may be interested in undertaking or participating in cultural competence continuing education efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward cultural competence in child intake assessments.

As cultural diversity within the U.S. population increases, cultural competence in service delivery to children, youths, and families is a growing necessity. This article presents a process for integrating assessment of cultural data with the traditional intake assessment in children's mental health. The purpose and process of integrating cultural assessment throughout the child intake are presented. By using the cultural formulation guidelines proposed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), the content of a culture-integrated assessment is conceptualized and organized. The purpose of this article is to assist child, youth, and family psychologists with developing applied cultural competency skills in the context of the intake assessment with children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting cultural competence: Implications for practice and training.

Training and work experience with clients from diverse groups were examined among 266 recent PhDs in counseling and clinical psychology. Surveys were mailed to 600 participants who completed their graduate work between 1985 and 1987. Analyses examined which training variables predicted self-rated competence in providing services to various cultural groups. Results indicated that most therapists reported competence in working with diverse clients, but there was notable variability among ratings of therapists' self-perceived competence with different client groups. Exposure during training to working with clients from specific cultural groups was important in predicting therapists' current perceived competence. Most respondents reported accessing education and training experiences in providing services to diverse client groups. A small but troubling number of respondents reported seeing clients despite reporting low levels of competence with that client group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparing cultural and individual learning tendencies.

Comments on the article by R. G. Tweed and D. R. Lehman (2001) which stated that a Confucian-Socratic framework provides a structure for analyzing culture-influenced aspects of academic learning. In this article, Tweed and Lehman argued that these ancient exemplars model approaches to learning continue to differentiate students within a modern Canadian postsecondary context. Specifically, it is argued that Chinese cultural influence increases the likelihood that a student will report Confucian learning beliefs and behaviors and that Western cultural influence increases the likelihood that a student will report Socratic learning beliefs and behaviors. The authors of this commentary believe that although Tweed and Lehman presented a thorough and thoughtful review of cultural differences and set the stage for the enhancement of teaching at the postsecondary level, there is disconnect between the framework and external educational theory. The use of a cultural level of analysis vs an individual level of analysis somewhat diluted the potential contribution of their ideas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

U.S and Chinese cultural beliefs about learning.

This study examined U.S. and Chinese conceptions of learning with leaning-related terms collected from U.S. and Chinese college students. Cluster analysis yielded a hierarchical structure of this lexicon for each culture. The 2 sets of cultural beliefs contained such different notions about learning that there was little overlap, however. The English terms included elaborated conceptions of mental processes, internal learner characteristics, social contexts, and externally existing bodies of knowledge. Most Chinese terms dealt with "seeking knowledge" including personal attitudes, purposes, and action plans for leaning. Chinese conceptions also emphasized achievement standards of breadth and depth of knowledge, the unity of knowing and morality, and contributions to society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In search of cultural competence in psychotherapy and counseling

This paper explores the possibilities of using linear inverse solutions to reconstruct arbitrary current distributions within the human brain. We formally prove that due to the underdetermined character of the problem, the only class of measurable current distributions that can be totally retrieved are those of minimal norm. The reconstruction of smooth or averaged versions of the currents is also explored. A solution that explicitly attempts to reconstruct averages of the current is proposed and compared with the minimum norm and the minimum Laplacian solution. In contrast to the majority of previous analysis carried out in the field, in the comparisons, we avoid the use of measures designed for the case of dipolar sources. To allow for the evaluation of distributed solutions in the case of arbitrary current distributions we use the concept of resolution kernels. Two summarizing measures, source identifiability and source visibility, are proposed and applied to the comparison. From this study can be concluded: 1) linear inverse solutions are unable to produce adequate estimates of arbitrary current distributions at many brain sites and 2) averages or smooth solutions are better than the minimum norm solution estimating the position of single point sources. However, they systematically underestimate their amplitude or strength especially for the deeper brain areas. Based on these result, it appears unlikely that a three-dimensional (3-D) tomography of the brain electromagnetic activity can be based on linear reconstruction methods without the use of a significant amount of a priori information.     

The mnemonic value of orthography for vocabulary learning.

In 2 experiments, the authors examined whether spellings improve students' memory for pronunciations and meanings of new vocabulary words. Lower socioeconomic status minority 2nd graders (M = 7 years 7 months; n = 20) and 5th graders (M = 10 years 11 months; n = 32) were taught 2 sets of unfamiliar nouns and their meanings over several learning trials. The words were defined, depicted, and embedded in sentences. During study periods, students were shown written forms of 1 set but not the other set. Spellings were not present during word recall. Results of analyses of variance showed that spellings enhanced memory for pronunciations and meanings compared to no spellings (ps     

Program evaluation for organizational cultural competence in mental health practices.

Mental health practices that lack cultural competence prevent diverse clients from receiving the care they deserve. As providers and program administrators, psychologists currently have a responsibility to ensure high quality of care for diverse clients at the clinic level. This article deciphers extant empirical research, organizational theory, public policy literature, and best practices to identify which recommendations are most relevant for those in small mental health practices and clinics. The authors present 10 components for culturally appropriate care, ranging from policies and procedures to needs and satisfaction level of clients. This overview can be used to help evaluate and develop a mental health practice's ability to meet the needs of diverse clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is social competence independent of cultural context?

Proposes an alternative to E. Zigler and P. K. Trickett's (see record 1979-24689-001) conceptual definition of social competence (SOCO) and suggests a possible strategy for implementing this concept in a multicultural context. SOCO is proposed as a dynamic process that draws on an individual's cognitive, linguistic, and social capabilities. The resultant model of assessment considers all child behavior as potentially useful in constructing indices of SOCO, recognizes cultural and ethnic strengths, and permits examination of behavioral components comprising a child's repertoire at different developmental periods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mexican-American acculturation, counselor ethnicity and cultural sensitivity, and perceived counselor competence.

189 Mexican-American community college students identified as low, medium, or high in acculturation were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 possible stimulus conditions generated by crossing 2 counselor introductions (Mexican American or Anglo American) with 2 tape-recorded counseling simulations (culturally responsive or culturally unresponsive). A significant cultural sensitivity effect was found for perceptions of cultural competence. Highest ratings of cultural competence were obtained when the counselor was portrayed as culturally responsive and lowest ratings when the counselor was portrayed as culturally unresponsive, regardless of counselor ethnicity or participant acculturation. All other main and interaction effects for perceived counselor credibility and cultural competence were nonsignificant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relative relativity of material and experiential purchases.

When it comes to spending disposable income, experiential purchases tend to make people happier than material purchases (Van Boven & Gilovich, 2003). But why are experiences more satisfying? We propose that the evaluation of experiences tends to be less comparative than that of material possessions, such that potentially invidious comparisons have less impact on satisfaction with experiences than with material possessions. Support for this contention was obtained in 8 studies. We found that participants were less satisfied with their material purchases because they were more likely to ruminate about unchosen options (Study 1); that participants tended to maximize when selecting material goods and satisfice when selecting experiences (Study 2); that participants examined unchosen material purchases more than unchosen experiential purchases (Study 3); and that, relative to experiences, participants’ satisfaction with their material possessions was undermined more by comparisons to other available options (Studies 4 and 5A), to the same option at a different price (Studies 5B and 6), and to the purchases of other individuals (Study 5C). Our results suggest that experiential purchase decisions are easier to make and more conducive to well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aging, cognitive resources, and declarative learning.

A battery of cognitive tasks designed to assess information-processing speed, working memory capability, and declarative learning was administered to a cross-sectional sample of 477 adults ranging in age from 17 to 86 years. Results showed significant age-related decrements in all three constructs. A variety of structural equation models was fit to the results. The preferred model on empirical and conceptual grounds was one that showed (a) working memory capability as the most important mediator of age effects in declarative learning; (b) working memory capability as the mediator for the effects of general processing speed on declarative learning; and (c) differentiation among verbal, numeric, and spatial processing speed and between verbal and spatial working memory capability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The treatment of cancer through experiential psychotherapy.

L. LeShan and M. L. Gassman (1958) may be credited with pioneering the psychotherapeutic treatment of cancer. Currently this avenue of therapy is being spearheaded by LeShan and also by O. C. Simonton et al (1978). Two cases are described wherein the cancers extinguished and the patients apparently remained cancer-free to the present, 7 yrs following therapy. The specific methods of experiential psychotherapy, particularized to these 2 cases, are described under the clinical hypothesis that some psychotherapeutic procedures may be coupled with the reduction of neoplastic growth and the elimination of cancer cells. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of absorption in experiential involvement.

The authors examined correlates of trait absorption to understand when and how pronounced engagement with attentional objects occurs. In Study 1 (N?=?321), absorption and openness to experience were positively correlated (r?=?.64), and these "involvement" constructs were differentiated from Eysenck's Big 3 (Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism; H. J. Eysenck & M. W. Eysenck, 1985). In Study 2 (N?=?68), absorption was positively correlated with participation in the arts, with effects of art on mood, and with ratings of the importance of art to daily life (ps?ps?     

Therapist multicultural competence, Asian American participants' cultural values, and counseling process.

Asian Americans drop out of mental health treatment at a high rate. This problem could be addressed by enhancing therapists' multicultural competence and by examining clients' cultural attitudes that may affect the counseling process. In the present study, we used a video analogue design with a sample of 113 Asian American college students to examine these possibilities. The result from a t test showed that the session containing therapist multicultural competencies received higher ratings than the session without therapist multicultural competence. In addition, correlational analyses showed that participant values acculturation was positively associated with participant ratings of counseling process, while the value of emotional self-control was negatively correlated. The results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis did not support any interaction effects among the independent variables on counseling process. All of these findings could contribute to the field of multicultural competence research and have implications for therapist practices and training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching and learning literate epistemologies.

Relationships between teacher epistemology, classroom interactions, and related student epistemologies and identities were studied in 4 cases, detailing the links between teachers' epistemological stances and those of their students by interview data and classroom discourse analysis. Classroom discourse, orchestrated by the teacher, likely mediates many of the associations between teacher and student epistemologies documented here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adaptation of community relocation: The interactive influence of psychological resources and contextual factors.

This longitudinal study examined the interactive influences of psychological resources and contextual factors on short-term adaptation to community relocation in a sample of older women (N?=?102, mean age?=?71.6). The effects of three psychological resources ( environmental mastery, autonomy, and personal growth) and three contextual factors (pressure to move, difficulty of the move, and unexpected gains experienced ) on emotional reactions to relocation were examined. The pattern of findings suggests that women with greater psychological resources were more resilient in the face of negative circumstances but that the emotional "boost" of unexpected gains was greatest for women with lower premove resources. These results underscore the importance of considering event-relevant psychological resources and contextual factors and including both negative and positive aspects of the adaptational process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching mental patients to use client-centered and experiential therapeutic skills with each other.

Investigated the effects of teaching 42 acute and chronic schizophrenic inpatients (mean age 27.6 yrs) to use client-centered reflective and experiential focusing skills with each other. To determine whether these skills could be learned, Ss were pre- and posttested with the Hinterkopf-Brunswick Talker and Helper Rating Scales. Results indicate that Ss were successful in learning the majority of skills taught. Administration of the Discharge Readiness Inventory revealed significant improvement in experimental Ss as compared to controls on community adjustment potential. In addition to statistical results, patients reported other beneficial effects from the training. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)