The clinical experience of a Euro-American female counselor-in-training providing bilingual family therapy services to Mexican immigrants is described. Cultural themes encountered when applying academic discourse to clinical work are raised in the context of case studies in which the student therapist works from a postmodern client-as-expert therapeutic stance. Strategies and techniques that helped the student counselor adapt Eurocentric counseling theories and processes into culturally congruent interventions with Mexican immigrant clients are detailed. In an effort to increase discussion regarding the implementation of culturally responsive counseling skills, implications for training based on this cross-cultural internship experience are discussed.
Akutsu, P.D., Tsuru, G.K., & Chu, J.P. (2004). Predictors of nonattendance of intake appointments among five Asian American client groups. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 891-896.
2.
Arredondo, P., Tovar-Blank, Z.G., & Parham, T.A. (2008). Challenges and promises of becoming a culturally competent counselor in a sociopolitical era of change and empowerment. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86, 261-268.
3.
Cartwright, B.Y., Daniels, J., & Zhang, S. (2008). Assessing multicultural competence: Perceived versus demonstrated performance. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86, 318-322.
4.
Chung, R.C. -Y., Bemak, F., Ortiz, D.P., & Sandoval-Perez, P.A. (2008). Promoting the mental health of immigrants: A multicultural/social justice perspective. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86, 310-317.
5.
Falicov, C. (1998). Latino families in therapy. New York: The Guilford Press.
6.
Falicov, C. (2005). Mexican families. In M. McGoldrick, J. Giordano & N. Garcia-Preto (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy (pp. 229-241). New York: The Guilford Press.
7.
Flicker, S.M., Waldron, H.B., Turner, C.W., Brody, J.L., & Hops, H. (2008). Ethnic matching and treatment outcome with Hispanic and Anglo substance-abusing adolescents in family therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 439-447.
8.
Llagas, C. (2003). Status and trends in the education of Hispanics (NCES 2003008): Llagas, C. Retrieved August 5, 2008, from U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003008
9.
McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto (Eds.). (2005). Ethnicity and family therapy (3rd ed.). New York: The Guilford Press.
10.
Santiago-Rivera, A., Arredondo, P., & Gallardo-Cooper, M. (2002). Counseling Latinos and la familia: A practical guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
11.
Sue, D.W., & Sue, D. (2003). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (4th ed.). New York : John Wiley & Sons.
12.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2006). Census bureau releases population estimates by race, Hispanic origin and age for states and counties (U.S. Census Press Release). Retrieved August 5, 2008, from http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www./releases/archives/population/007263.html
13.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2008). U.S. Hispanic population surpasses 45 million: Now 15 percent of total (U.S. Census Press Release). Retrieved August 5, 2008, from http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www./releases/archives/population/011910.html
14.
Vega, W.A. (2005). Higher stakes ahead for cultural competence. General Hospital Psychiatry, 27, 446-450.
15.
Vega, W.A., Kolody, B., & Aguilar-Gaxiola, S. (2001). Help seeking for mental health problems among Mexican Americans. Journal of Immigrant Health, 3, 133-140.
16.
Vega, W.A., Kolody, B., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., & Catalana, R. (1999). Gaps in service utilization by Mexican Americans with mental health problems. American Journal of Psychiatry , 156, 928-934.
17.
Weingarten, K. (1998). Sidelined no more: Promoting mothers of adolescents as a resource for their growth and development. In C. Garcia-Coll, J. L. Surrey & K. Weingarten (Eds.), Mothering against the odds: Diverse voices of contemporary mothers (pp. 15-36). New York: The Guilford Press.
18.
Willerton, E., Dankoski, M., & Sevilla Martir, J. (2008). Medical family therapy: A model for addressing mental health disparities among Latinos. Families, Systems, & Health, 26, 196-207.
