Latino Families in Therapy, Second Edition

Celia Jaes Falicov, PhD, is an internationally known family therapy author, teacher, and clinician. A clinical psychologist, she is Clinical Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, where she is also Director of Mental Health Services at the Student-Run Free Clinic. Past president of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA), Dr. Falicov is a Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the American Orthopsychiatric Association and a recipient of AFTA’s Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy Theory and Practice Award. She serves on the advisory boards of several family therapy journals. Dr. Falicov is well known for her writings on family transitions, migration, and cultural perspectives in family therapy practice and training. Her current work focuses on addressing the mental health care needs of underserved families, facilitating empowerment groups for Latino parents, and training medical students to take into account the impact of migration and culture on health risks and strengths.

Falicov has outdone herself with the second edition of Latino Families in Therapy. She deftly guides therapists working with Latino families through the complexities and intersectionalities of this work. The volume's clarity makes it highly accessible to therapists-in-training, while its clinical wisdom and conceptual depth make it delectable for the most seasoned researcher, theoretician, or therapist. An essential addition to the libraries of those involved in multicultural clinical practice, by the best in the field.--Carola Suárez-Orozco, PhD, Co-Director, Institute of Immigrant Children, Youth, and Families, University of California, Los AngelesThe second edition of this groundbreaking text updates Falicov's stellar contributions to understanding the interplay of culture and immigration as they play out in the therapy process. Falicov's vast experience as a clinician is evident in her examples of concrete interventions. This edition incorporates insights about the impact of the recent immigration landscape and the consequent transformations of family life. I look forward to using this text in my courses on gender and immigration for doctoral students in psychology.--Oliva M. Espin, PhD, Professor Emerita, San Diego State University and California School of Professional Psychology of Alliant International UniversityA feast for our minds and hearts, this rich volume challenges our field's truisms and offers carefully crafted concepts to enlarge our thinking. Falicov invites us to embrace complexity with a framework that is created for Latino families yet applicable to all families. She generously weaves her own life experiences as an immigrant with the moving stories of those whose lives she has masterfully touched, providing a profound balance of the personal and the professional that is so needed in our work. I can't wait to use this book with my graduate and postgraduate students in family therapy.--Evan Imber-Black, PhD, Professor and Program Director, Marriage and Family Therapy Master's Program, Mercy CollegeBroad in scope, the book encompasses the process of immigration, the encounter of two cultures, the ecology of the immigrant family, family organization, the family life cycle, and specific aspects of therapy, illustrated with examples of clients treated by the author. As a family therapist born and raised in Argentina, I was surprised and humbled by the many new things I learned about my own migratory process and about the cultures I thought I knew well. This second edition is essential reading for everybody who is working, or plans to work, with this growing and varied population.--Salvador Minuchin, MDFalicov methodically deepens the reader’s understanding of Latino families and culture, with sensitivity and depth of knowledge. Her scholarship is articulated with precision, keen observation, and penetrating insight. Offering an approach that integrates the cultural and sociopolitical issues that affect Latino families, the book guides the clinician to develop culturally sensitive assessments and practical interventions. Falicov's writing is notable for its eloquence, theoretical sophistication, clinical utility, and cultural authority. This is an indispensable text for graduate-level courses in clinical psychology, family therapy, and cultural diversity.--Salvador D. Treviño, PhD, Director, Practicum in PsyD Program, Antioch University Santa Barbara -

• IntroductionI. Overview1. MECA: A Meeting Place for Culture and Therapy2. Latino Diversity: Contexts and CulturesII. Migration and Acculturation3. Journeys of Migration: Losses and Gains4. Transnational Therapies: Separations and Reunifications5. The Second-Generation Identity Struggles: Roots and WingsIII. Ecological Contexts6. Mental Health Disparities: The Need for Equal and Just Care7. Religion, Spirituality, and Traditional Healing Practices8. Racism, Ethnic Prejudice, and Discrimination9. The Challenge of School and WorkIV. Family Organization10. The Persistence of Extended Kin11. Couples: Presenting Issues and ApproachesV. Family Life Cycle12. Raising Children in Culture and Context13. Adolescents and Parents Crossing Cultural Borders14. Young, Middle, and Late Adulthood TransitionsVI. ConclusionA Reflection: Finding Strengths