Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations Strategies for Practitioners

9781583913482

1583913483

In order to be effective as helping professionals, practitioners must understand individuals within their families, subgroups, and societies. Effective helpers reduce the social, economic and emotional barriers encountered by American subgroups and consider culture to be broadly comprised, containing elements of religion, gender, sexuality, lifestyle, ethnicity and historical context. Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations: Strategies for Practitioners , now in its fourth edition, presents an overview of 13 populations representative of the distinct and divergent subgroups in American society. Utilizing current research and personal experience, twenty authors convey the needs, experiences and characteristics of populations commonly encountered by counselors as well as those commonly discriminated against and misunderstood. New chapters focus specifically on Arab Americans, multiracial persons, incarcerated individuals, those in the sexual minority, and, more broadly, on men's and women's issues. This text provides a resource through which practitioners can expand their knowledge and awareness of the values and conducts of diverse populations and of themselves. By encouraging self-exploration and guided reflection, this book assists students to improve their ability to understand and counsel people from many subcultures and population groups. Nicholas A. Vacc, EdD, is the author of more than 120 scholarly publications as well as the recipient of many awards for distinguished service, mentorship, and academic excellend. He has served as Chairperson of the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at the University of North Caroline at Greensboro, president of the Association for Assessment in Counseling, editor of Measurement and Evalution in Counseling and Development, and president of Chi Sigma Iota, the International Counseling Honor Society. Susan B. DeVaney, EdD, has worked as a counselor, trainer, professor and writer since 1985. Throughout her career, her endeavors have focused on cross-cultural understanding in public schools and the workplace. She is the author of the Social and Cultural Foundations section of The Official Study Course for the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification. Johnston M. Brendel Associate Professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi where he teaches and researches multicultural counseling. He has spent the last ten years working with disenfranchised youth and their families. His publications focus on adult development and counselor education