Cultural Considerations in Latino American Mental Health

In America's increasingly diverse society, it is imperative that mental health providers prioritize the development of their cultural competence to assure that they are equipped to meet the needs of their clients. Cultural Considerations in Latino American Mental Health offers a broad array of perspectives from clinicians and researchers actively working with racially and ethnically diverse populations. This book addresses psychosocial cultural issues that impact the mental health of the growing Latino American population. Topics discussed include relevant socio-demographic variables for Latinos and the implications of the steadily increasing Latino population in the United States; cultural values, acculturation, and acculturative stress in the lives of Latino adolescents; culturally responsive intervention of depression in Latino adolescents; depression across the lifespan; and cultural factors in the development of substance abuse issues in the Latino adolescent population. This book is a must-read for mental health clinicians, students, community workers, school counselors, and nurses who work with diverse populations.

Harvette Grey, PhD, is the former Executive Director of the Cultural Center and Founding Director of the Women's Center at DePaul University. She is also past President of the Association of Black Psychologists. Dr. Grey has had a wide range of professional experience, from being a community psychologist to an administrator in several settings. Her specialties include providing and designing culturally focused services and treatments for America's racial and ethnic minority populations. Brittany Hall-Clark, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She works with the STRONG STAR multidisciplinary PTSD research consortium, primarily as a research therapist. She completed her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include culturally competent treatment, cultural variables in mental health, and racial/ethnic differences in PTSD.

Foreword by Melba Vasquez Preface About the Editors Contributors 1. The Browning of the United States from Generalizations to Specifics: A Mental Health Perspective J. Manuel Casas, Saul G. Alamilla, Ana P. Cabrera, and Susana Ortega 2. Latino Adolescents and Acculturation Lisa M. Edwards 3. Treatment of Depression in US Latina/o Adolescents Ignacio David Acevedo-Polakovich and Elvia Y. Valencia 4. Depression among Latinos across the Lifespan Rachel Zack Ishikawa and Esteban V. Cardemil 5. Substance Abuse in Latino/a Adolescents Elvia Y. Valencia and Ignacio David Acevedo-Polakovich Appendix Multiracial Individuals in Therapy: Clinical Considerations across the Lifespan Lisa M. Edwards and Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti Index