Foundations of Multicultural Psychology: Research to Inform Effective Practice

Multicultural psychology is a vibrant, emerging discipline with great potential to inform therapists about cultural considerations relevant to mental health. But to what extent are existing assumptions about culturally-informed practice based on research evidence?

This book brings clarity to the current evidence base, shifting the conversation toward greater inclusion of cultural factors in psychotherapy and helping those conversations become more reliant on data than on opinion. Using meta-analytic methods to summarize what we know, this balanced, comprehensive book is a major step towards establishing a core set of principles for multicultural scholarship and providing answers to the fundamental questions in the field. For instance, how large are racial discrepancies in mental health service utilization and what factors predict those discrepancies? To what extent are perceptions of racism and ethnic identity associated with psychological well-being? And to what extent can therapists’ multicultural training and competence benefit diverse clients? The answers to these questions are relevant and important to every therapist who works in our multicultural world.