Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice
Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice
Completely updated, the most widely used and critically acclaimed text on multicultural counseling, Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, Fifth Edition offers students and professionals essential and thought-provoking material on the theory, research, and practice of multicultural counseling.
Authors Derald Wing Sue and David Sueâpioneers in this fieldâdefine and analyze the meaning of diversity and multiculturalism and include coverage of racial/ethnic minority groups as well as multiracial individuals, women, gays and lesbians, the elderly, and those with disabilities. The Fifth Edition of this classic resource introduces new research and concepts, discusses future directions in the field, and includes updated references.
New and important highlights include:
- Opening personal narratives in Chapter 1 that present poignant journeys in cultural competence
- Cutting-edge material related to the most recent research, theoretical formulations, and practice implications
- Discussion of unconscious and subtle manifestations of racial, gender, and sexual orientation bias and discriminationknown as microaggressions
- Coverage of social justice counseling
- Content on minority group therapists
- Attention to counseling and special circumstances involving racial/ethnic populations
With its unique conceptual framework for multicultural therapy, Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, Fifth Edition remains the best source of real-world counseling preparation for students as well as the most enlightened, influential guide for professionals.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Perfect
This product came in a timely manner, was in perfect condition, and had a great price.
5 Stars Interesting
This book provides the reader with an immense of knowledge relating to counseling multicultural clients. It makes the reader understand the bias that he or she may be have against clients. Great book!
5 Stars Counseling the Culturally Diverse
This is an excellent textbook. Had I not already spent time working in food kitchens and homeless shelters, I might have found this book offensive as a white, privileged, American male. For that reason, I really think the authors should rethink the placement of their chapter on social justice. Understanding the need for social justice is key to this book. In my opinion, this chapter should follow the introduction where the authors take great pains to explain their approach and beg the reader not to be offended by the lived reality of numerous Americans. They plead with the reader to read these chapters through the eyes of someone who has suffered through life at the mercy of the status quo. The individual chapters that address the specific needs of each and every minority group are excellent. Counseling ethics are very clear about the counselor knowing thyself so that his/her biases will not interfere with the counseling relationship. An effective counselor is required to question his/her own personal limits in working with a diverse client; while knowing when to refer the client to another counselor. At the same time, the counselor should always be challenged to grow so that s/he might may continue to widen his/her boundaries of service to humanity.
5 Stars Multi-cultural counseling resource
I had to order this book for a college class. Expecting a dull text I was pleased to find a valuable resource. The book gives a good general and overall foundation to the process of becoming a culturally competent counselor.
2 Stars biased, not empirically sound
Overall I would not recommend this book, particularly since there are others out there that I find more useful and reputable (I definitely recommend Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations by Vacc, DeVaney and Brendel). This book is not worthless. Like all multicultural counseling books, it challenges one to introspect and look more deeply into prejudices, biases, stereotypes, etc., that affect the counseling relationship, which is useful. However, the authors (as other reviewers have noted in chorus) do appear to have some pretty deeply held prejudices about multiple cultural groups, particularly Euro-Americans; they frankly appear to have a lot of anger toward Euro-Americans. They also appear to have some major misconceptions about some theoretical orientations, such as psychodynamic therapy (of which there are too many varied forms to even make conclusions about in the first place).
The book is full of contradiction that often leaves the reader feeling back at square one, and too many of the examples they use for discussion purposes in each chapter are focused on youth populations (<18 years old), which is not helpful for therapists working with young adults or adults. There is also an exorbitant amount of redundancy that leaves the reader feeling bored. I was also frustrated with their clinical recommendations for each ethnic/racial group, which were presented in very stereotypical and black/white terms, instead of allowing for variation within ethnic/racial groups.
Perhaps worst of all, too many of the “facts” they present turn out to be supported by 1) no research at all (i.e. no citation is offered), 2) “research” that is not empirical (such as books, which are considered “secondary sources” and are often just someone else’s opinion), 3) research that is not empirically-sound (such as observation, interview, or other qualitative research that is not clearly empirically rigorous or is outdated, or 4) (worst of all but all too common in this text) citations reference an outdated book (from 1970s or 80s), which in turn references an even more outdated research article (from 1950s or 60s).
This is simply unacceptable. To be a reputable resource, the great majority of citations need to be from recent research that is empirically sound (whether qualitative or quantitative). This book just doesn’t make the cut.
p.s. despite the plethora of negative reviews this book has received, your course instructor may be compelled to use it, since (as is common with texts) Sue & Sue are sending out free copies to everyone and their brother. I would strongly urge your course instructor (if you are a student) to consider using a different text.
Filed under: Mental Health Book Reviews