Cultural Competency in Health & Social Services: Hispanics & Latin-Americans

Designed specifically with mental health professionals in mind, The Bilingual Counselor's Guide to Spanish is perfect for counselors interested in expanding their client base and language skill set. Featuring terminology and cultural phrases specific to the mental health profession, this text offers an easy introduction to both the Spanish language and interfacing with Spanish-speaking clients in a counseling setting. Sections of useful and practical vocabulary are followed by ¡Practique! sections, which enable to reader to put his or her developing skills to use. These sections are augmented by case studies in English and Spanish, as well as brief overviews of Latino history, customs, and social manners that will greatly enhance any counselor's depth of interaction with Spanish-speaking clients. For counselors who want to communicate with the large and rapidly expanding population of Spanish speakers in the United States, or for those who are simply interested in developing or improving their Spanish-language skills, The Bilingual Counselor's Guide to Spanishis the place to start.  

Spirit, mind, and heart--in traditional Mexican health beliefs all three are inherent to maintaining psychological balance. For Mexican Americans, who are both the oldest Latina/o group in the United States as well as some of the most recent arrivals, perceptions of health and illness often reflect a dual belief system that has not always been incorporated in mental health treatments. Chicana and Chicano Mental Health offers a model to understand and to address the mental health challenges and service disparities affecting Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans/Chicanos. Yvette G. Flores, who has more than thirty years of experience as a clinical psychologist, provides in-depth analysis of the major mental health challenges facing these groups: depression; anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder; substance abuse; and intimate partner violence. Using a life-cycle perspective that incorporates indigenous health beliefs, Flores examines the mental health issues affecting children and adolescents, adult men and women, and elderly Mexican Americans. Through case studies, Flores examines the importance of understanding cultural values, class position, and the gender and sexual roles and expectations Chicanas/os negotiate, as well as the legacies of migration, transculturation, and multiculturality. Chicana and Chicano Mental Health is the first book of its kind to embrace both Western and Indigenous perspectives. Ideally suited for students in psychology, social welfare, ethnic studies, and sociology, the book also provides valuable information for mental health professionals who desire a deeper understanding of the needs and strengths of the largest ethnic minority and Hispanic population group in the United States.