Abstract
Reviewed by: Prudence Caldairou-Bessette, Institut de santé McGill/SHERPA-CSSS de la Montagne (ÉRIT) and Mélanie Vachon, UQAM/SHERPA-CSSS de la Montagne (ÉRIT)
This is the fourth edition of A Handbook for Developing Multicultural Awareness. The authors retitled the book given the substantial changes made. In this new edition, the definition of multiculturalism has been expanded to cover not only issues of race and ethnicity but also gender, sexual orientation, age, disability status, and religious/spiritual matters. The authors also provide a framework that merges multiculturalism and social justice in a unified approach, arguing that the experience of multicultural practice naturally leads to advocacy for social justice. The authors stress that counselors and psychologists need to consider the cultural background of their clients and that clinical problems sometimes call for systemic-level interventions, especially for clients belonging to marginalized and oppressed groups. They argue that intrapsychic approaches are insufficient and that there is a need to contextualize problems encountered in the helping professions. In this sense, one of the main ideas of this book is that “multicultural and social justice perspectives are crucial to effective and ethical practice” (p. 5).
The book is divided into three sections: Section 1 presents theoretical foundations; Section 2 presents concrete considerations to help develop multicultural and social justice competencies; and Section 3 presents applications in different contexts of oppression.
The first section contains five chapters that constitute the core of the book. The concepts of multiculturalism and social justice are introduced along with the context in which they developed—as responses to racism and oppression and among different “forces,” or paradigms and approaches, in counseling and psychology. In this section, extended identity considerations and models for integrating multiculturalism and social justice in practice are also presented.
Chapter 1 defines multiculturalism and social justice before highlighting the seamless connection between the two perspectives. Chapter 2 presents the particularly interesting idea that multiculturalism and social justice represent the fourth and fifth forces in psychology and counseling, following and complementing the psychoanalytic (first), cognitive-behavioral (second), and existential-humanistic (third) forces. This development is well illustrated by a figure and comprehensive table comparing the primary assumptions, concepts, therapeutic goals, techniques, and critiques of each paradigm/force. The multicultural and social justice perspectives are convincingly defended. However, the authors’ critiques of the other forces may appear reductive to clinicians who work with these approaches: psychoanalysis is presented as sexist, cognitive behaviorism is seen as “client blaming,” and humanism is considered individualistic. Aside from these critiques, however, the comparison is very well balanced.
Chapter 4 presents the counselor-advocate-scholar model, which is suggested as a way of merging multiculturalism and social justice in practice. It is modeled after the scientist-practitioner-advocate model from the University of Tennessee Counseling Psychology Program. The authors propose different steps that can be included in the counseling process to determine whether individual or systemic intervention is required.
Chapters 3 and 5 address questions of identity in relation to oppression. The focus on identity is justified on the grounds that multiculturalism “includes all the unique dimensions of identity” (p. x). These dimensions are presented as internal (age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability), external (social class, religion/spirituality, geographic location, and life status: educational, parental, relationship or employment), and sociopolitical (which defines the oppressor, border, and oppressed groups). Each aspect is related to specific dynamics of privilege and oppression (e.g., gender/sexism, race/racism, religion and spirituality/religious oppression). The authors also discuss the dynamics of power between the counselor and client in different settings, in which both can be the oppressor or the oppressed. In Chapter 5, Sue’s (1978) worldview model, which is articulated in terms of locus of control (internal vs. external, and individual vs. systemic), is presented as essentially linked to the process of identity development. Different identity development models are provided: social, racial, multiracial, and sexual.
In the second section of the book, the authors explore “the importance of language and the use of appropriate terminology to describe others” (p. 85, Chapter 6). Chapter 9 addresses existing resistance to multicultural and social justice approaches and strategies to facilitate the adoption of this perspective (“gaining buy-in”). In Chapters 7 and 8, different tools are made available for practitioners who wish to further develop their competence in the field. This edition also offers two self-assessment questionnaires to evaluate multicultural and advocacy competence, which were not included in previous editions.
The third section considers how individual and systemic oppression can be addressed, using examples of racism (counseling Asian and Pacific Islander, African American, Native American, Latino/a, and multicultural clients), heterosexism (for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer clients), transgender oppression, sexism, classism, and religious oppression. Each chapter discusses the historical context, key concepts, systemic barriers, applications at the micro and macro levels (individual counseling vs. advocacy), and future directions. In each chapter, a “personal voices” section presents a case example, which brings life to the issues presented.
Throughout this book, rather than just presenting theories and models, the authors strongly advocate integrating multicultural and social justice principles into clinical practice. Although their approach sometimes feels slightly moralizing, they legitimize their position in a compelling way, describing epistemological problems in the field of counseling and psychology (Chapter 1) and the limitations of intrapsychic and medical models (like the DSM) for addressing the needs of marginalized and oppressed groups (Chapter 2).
Finally, while the book fosters an understanding of the history and context in which the multicultural and social justice perspectives developed, questions remain regarding the broadened definition of multiculturalism and the strong link with oppression that accompanies the social justice approach. Indeed, one might ask if the concept of culture risks being blurred by too much broadening or by the emphasis on oppression. Nonetheless, the multicultural and social justice approach offers a fascinating reflection on “the core principles of counseling and psychology” (p. 117) as well as promising directions for advancing the field. This approach points toward solutions to clinical problems that practitioners may not be able to resolve in individual office settings. Thus, the multiculturalism-social justice perspective can enhance the effectiveness of counseling and clinical psychology by providing a global approach to mental health, while also promoting needed social change.