Cultural Psychotherapy: Theory, Methods, and Practice

Written by a leading expert in the field of culturally competent psychotherapeutic practice, this book presents an integrated psychotherapeutic framework designed to help students and practitioners understand, investigate and treat clients from diverse cultural backgrounds (including all races and backgrounds). La Roche introduces a logical theoretical model that takes into account the influence of sociopolitical, economic and cultural processes (e.g., discrimination, cultural oppression, economic inequities) within the psychotherapeutic process. In addition to highlighting socio-cultural forces, La Roche focuses on and emphasizes the psychotherapeutic relationship and the client′s unique history and experiences. Using a three-phased psychotherapeutic model with specific clinical recommendations and suggestions for each phase, the book explores complex clinical cases that illustrate in detail each phase.

Unique in its approach to and definition of the concept of cultural diversity, Cultural Psychotherapy expands the traditional ethnicity/race model to a model that examines individuals and groups according to a broader set of variables (e.g., ethnic identity, self-orientation, gender orientation, and socioeconomic class). In other words, the key to enhancing our understanding of our clients is to take into account the rich and dynamic context in which their lives develop and evolve.

Martin J. La Roche, PhD is a Latino psychologist who received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He is currently an assistant professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital Boston. For the last 16 years, he has served as director of Psychology Training at the Martha Eliot Health Center, where he treats an inner-city, culturally diverse community and trains doctoral-level psychology students. Honored with numerous research and academic awards, Dr. La Roche also served for seven years as co-chair and board member of the Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs of the Massachusetts Psychological Association. Having authored numerous articles and chapters on culturally competent psychotherapeutic services with ethnic minority groups, Dr. La Roche has been a private practitioner in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area for the last 16 years, where he treats a culturally diverse clientele.