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LATINO FAMILIES IN THERAPY: A GUIDE TO MULTICULTURAL PRACTICE. Celia Jaes Falicov. New York: The Guilford Press, 1998, 303 pages.
Latino families in therapy: A guide to multicultural practice is one of the most comprehensive books ever on Latino families and therapy. It presents a rich description of the ecological contexts of Latino families with an excellent analysis of the dynamic and interactive nature of such contexts; suggests strategies for family therapy with Latinos and provides an extensive bibliography on the content. The book makes other valuable contributions. For instance, the author both proposes a comprehensive definition of culture and cultural adaptation, and assesses the impact of culture in therapy by using an ecological-systemic model.
Celia Jaes Falicav, a second-generation Latina family therapist, brilliantly combines theory, case illustrations, and intervention strategies. Far beyond enhancing knowledge and strengthening practice skills, the chapter stimulates therapist's insight and self evaluation of his/her values and attitudes, important elements of competent therapy.
The Preface is a powerful narrative of the author's migration journey and her experiences with culture and psychotherapy. Part I of the book, the Overview Section, introduces the framework for thinking about multiculturalism, an approach that challenges the traditional rigid and static notion of culture. Falicov defines culture as multidimensional and further explains that a person's culture is comprised of collective identities that make up his or her ecological niche.
Also in the Overview section Falicov discusses the need for the inclusion of culture in therapy and reviews the challenges and dilemmas for the therapist when culture is added to the therapeutic equation. The therapist, who has his/ her ecological niche and own perspectives including views, values, and preferences, is part of the ecology of the family. Thus, part of the therapy is to build a cultural bridge of connectedness between the family's and the therapist's cultural maps. The awareness of these cultural maps "empowers the therapist to work with families of different ecological niches-it raises consciousness about professional and personal biases" (p. 18).
Falicov proposes a cultural-generalist approach that can be used to assess and treat a family, and to describe the therapist's own theoretical and cultural position. The MECA model-A Meeting Place For Culture and Therapy is a means to...