Doody Review Services:
Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, Psy.D.(Cermak Health Services)
Description: This book deals with cultural and diversity issues in clinical work by using the "Addressing" framework. This approach will help therapists understand the various identities/memberships of both themselves and the clients they serve, greatly assisting the therapeutic process. This updates the first edition published in 2001.
Purpose: The book is intended to help readers "move beyond one-dimensional conceptualizations of identity to an understanding of the complex, overlapping cultural influences that drive each of us." The authors explain, "the ADDRESSING framework enables therapists to better recognize and understand cultural influences as a multidimensional combination of Age, Developmental and acquired Disabilities, Religion, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic status, Sexual orientation, Indigenous heritage, Native origin, and Gender. Unlike other books on therapy with diverse clients, which tend to focus on working with one particular ethnic group, Addressing Cultural Complexities in Practice presents a framework that can be used with a person of any cultural identity.
Audience: Counselors, clinicians, and mental health professionals working with clients from a variety of backgrounds are the intended audience. Graduate students in clinical/counseling psychology would also benefit. The author works with Central Peninsula Counseling Services and the Kenaitze Tribe's Nakenu Family Center in Kenai, Alaska. She is an adjunct faculty member for Antioch University Seattle and her research has focused on Arab women and Cambodian refugees living in the United States.
Features: This book is excellent in the way it addresses multicultural issues related to the therapeutic process in a very organized, practical way using the "Addressing" framework. This framework can be used with an individual of any cultural identity. The author has a wonderful way of presenting these concepts, especially when she asks readers to conduct a cultural self-assessment. The clinical examples are extremely helpful. Psychology students will really appreciate the way the book walks step-by-step through the therapeutic process. Each chapter contains a section at the end, "Key Ideas," to help summarize the information presented in the chapter. The book is readable and pragmatic, guiding readers through the therapeutic process quite nicely. The tables and figures are helpful in elucidating the material. Finally, the wide margins make for easier reading and provide space for writing notations.
Assessment: This edition has been updated throughout and there are new sections on trauma, people living in poverty, rural and minority communities, and how to integrate cultural considerations into cognitive-behavioral therapy. Readers will not be disappointed because it delivers the goods at an affordable price.