Mental Health Professionals, Minorities, and the Poor

ISBN-13: 9780415935760 / Angielski / Twarda / 2002 / 288 str.

Michael E. Illovsky

Opis

This is not a how-to book; instead it is a think about what you are doing book. Informing readers of issues in minority mental health, are critiques of the effects of minority mental health professionals in their interactions with minorities and the poor. It encourages therapists to go beyond common beliefs, espoused values, and accepted myths. Solutions offered include the exploration of other therapeutic approaches-with examples in the chapters on technology and evolution. Focusing on aspects of the mental health fields that are often overlooked, summarily dismissed, or ignored, racist, political and economic aspects of ethnic minority mental health work are explored and the development of endogenous systems in the underdeveloped US minority communities is encouraged. Conditions of ethnic minorities in other parts of the world are explored to gain perspective and to examine what has been done elsewhere. A world perspective makes it clearer that the conditions of minorities are often more a function of social, economic and political forces and not necessarily a function of the characteristics of the minority group.

Recenzje

"This is a courageous and sensitive examination of core issues for the 21st Century Mental Health Professional..This truly is a book for the thinking therapist and is a must-read for practitioners and educators of our next generation..The reader is assisted in deepening his or her understanding of cultural and ethnic issues while being encouraged to take action, explore alternative approaches, and utilize new innovations in technology." -- Stephany Joy-Newman, Ph.D., past president of the American College Counseling Association and the Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association
"Given the increasing cultural diversity of people in the U.S.A., Michael Illovsky's book is a necessary primer for every mental health professional.. Mental health providers must get beyond the 19th and 20th century assimilation paradigm and recognize that acculturation will be the adaptive strategy of most minorities and poor people in the 21st century." -- J. Q. Adams, Ph.D., moderator of the popular PBS Teleclass Dealing With Diversity, co-editor of Dealing With Diversity: The Anthology
"This book provides current and up-to-date research on the various populations and what professionals have theorized about when working with these populations. This book is an excellent book for clinicians, researchers, and students to have in their collection of resources." -- Jacqueline A. Conley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Chicago State University
"This book is a must-have if you are interested in a comprehensive review of mental health status, services, and outcomes that significantly differ among cultural groups.

This text provides an extensive review of Physiological, psychosocial, and social differences that suggest the lack of diversity in the mental health profession creates (1) limited cultural views and (2) miscommunication and decreased understanding between the ethnic-minority patient and the mental health provider." -- Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research

Spis treści

bPREFACE

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Terms Used

Chapter 2: FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN PROVIDING SERVICES TO CROSS-CULTURAL PERSONS
Differences that Might Mitigate Therapeutic Effects When Counseling Minorities
Solutions to Consider
Selection of Mental Health Professionals, Training, Power, and Politics
Counselor Selection and Education
Insights from Assessment
Mental Health Training and the Poor
Necessary and Sufficient Skills
Power Dynamics

Chapter 3: Minority Mental Health Research
Minority Mental Health Research
Minorities in the General Mental Health Literature
Minority Mental Health Research
Analysis of Minority Mental Health Research
Ethnic Group Classifications
Ethnic Research
Misuse of Minority Data Reporting

CHAPTER 4: USING TECHNOLOGY
Human Impediments
Minority Education, Training, and Community Development

CHAPTER 5: EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY--WITH CROSS-CULTURAL APPLICATIONS
Evolution (Biological)
Evolutionary Psychology
Mental Disorders
Evolutionary Approaches to Cross-Cultural Therapy

CHAPTER 6: SPECIAL POPULATIONS: SEXUAL ORIENTATION, DISABILITIES, CHILDREN, WOMEN, THE ELDERLY
Sexual Orientation/Homosexuality
Minorities with Disabilites
Ethnic Minority Children
Ethnic Minority Women
Ethnic Minority Elderly
Minorities in Rural Areas
Middle-Class Minorities

CHAPTER 7: WORLD MENTAL HEALTH--IT ISN'T THE FAULT OF THE MINORITIES AND THE POOR
Why Study Other Cultures?
Why and How Do Inequalities Exist?
World Mental Health of Minorities and the Poor
Findings and Solutions

CHAPTER 8: CONCLUDING REMARKS
Scholarship and Action
Therapy and Action
Institutional Skills
Technology and Information
Counseling Models
Contributions of Other Cultures
Universal Perspective

REFERENCES
INDEX

O autorze

Michael E. Illovsky