The Handbook of Transcultural Counselling and Psychotherapy

"With its diversity throughout including almost 40 authors from different therapeutic modalities, continents and professional fields the book indeed is both an ‘invitation and challenge’ and a means ‘to aid transcultural therapists in conducting their work in a sensitive and informed manner’. It brings to mind a colourful and well stocked market comprising two parts. The first provides nourishing food for practitioners such as contributions to theory, use of interpreters, training, supervision, research and case studies. The second offers an outstanding exploration of the impact of different cultural backgrounds orchestrated by the editor, whose compilation from a UK perspective might be a useful example for other cultural and language areas. The involved reader will be delighted to have this inspiring handbook to hand."
Gerhard Stumm, Ph.D., psychotherapy trainer, Vienna

"Therapists pride themselves on cherishing the uniqueness of every client. This book offers a powerful challenge for it plainly demonstrates that a commitment to honouring uniqueness cannot be divorced from a sensitivity to the cultural, racial, spiritual and ethnic differences that clients present in an increasingly multicultural society. Here is an impressive compendium that illuminates the many clinical, training, relational and supervisory issues involved together with the widest range of contributions from diverse cultures that I have ever encountered in one volume. Colin Lago is to be congratulated on editing an invaluable resource which is both stimulating and disturbing in its implications."
Brian Thorne, Emeritus Professor of Counselling, University of East Anglia and Co-founder of The Norwich Centre

This fascinating book examines recent critical thinking and contemporary research findings in the field of transcultural counselling and psychotherapy. It also explores the effects of different cultural heritages upon potential clients and therapists.

The first part of the book reflects the curriculum, context and content of counselling and psychotherapy training courses, with regards to sensitivity to diversity. It covers key issues such as:

• Implications of identity development for therapeutic work
• Ethnic matching of clients and therapists
• Working with interpreters and bi-cultural workers
• Overcoming racism, discrimination and oppression within the counselling process
• An overview of current research within this field

In the second part, the authors give personal accounts that explore the impact of cultural heritage on people who have moved from their countries of origin to ‘Western’ countries,, such as the UK or the...

read more...