Mental Health Professionals, Minorities and the Poor

"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: TheAnthology"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

• bPREFACE CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTIONTerms UsedChapter 2: FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN PROVIDINGSERVICES TO CROSS-CULTURAL PERSONSDifferences that Might Mitigate Therapeutic Effects When Counseling MinoritiesSolutions to ConsiderSelection of Mental Health Professionals, Training, Power, and PoliticsCounselor Selection and EducationInsights from AssessmentMental Health Training and the PoorNecessary and Sufficient SkillsPower DynamicsChapter 3: Minority Mental HealthResearchMinority Mental Health ResearchMinorities in the General Mental Health LiteratureMinority Mental Health Research Analysis of Minority Mental Health ResearchEthnic Group ClassificationsEthnic ResearchMisuse of Minority Data ReportingCHAPTER 4: USING TECHNOLOGYHuman ImpedimentsMinority Education, Training, and Community DevelopmentCHAPTER 5: EVOLUTIONARYPSYCHOLOGY--WITH CROSS-CULTURAL APPLICATIONSEvolution (Biological)Evolutionary PsychologyMental DisordersEvolutionary Approaches to Cross-Cultural TherapyCHAPTER 6: SPECIAL POPULATIONS: SEXUALORIENTATION, DISABILITIES, CHILDREN, WOMEN, THEELDERLYSexual Orientation/HomosexualityMinorities with DisabilitesEthnic Minority ChildrenEthnic Minority WomenEthnic Minority ElderlyMinorities in Rural AreasMiddle-Class MinoritiesCHAPTER7: WORLD MENTAL HEALTH--IT ISN'T THE FAULT OF THEMINORITIES AND THE POORWhy Study Other Cultures? Why and How Do Inequalities Exist? World Mental Health of Minorities and the PoorFindings and SolutionsCHAPTER 8: CONCLUDING REMARKSScholarship and ActionTherapy and ActionInstitutional SkillsTechnology and InformationCounseling ModelsContributions of Other CulturesUniversal PerspectiveREFERENCESINDEX