Psychoanalytic Theory and Cultural Competence in Psychotherapy

While psychoanalytic scholars often address specific aspects of diversity such as gender, race, immigration, religion, sexual orientation, and social class, the literature lacks a set of core principles to inform and support culturally competent practice. This approachable volume responds to that pressing need.

Drawing on the contributions of psychoanalytic scholars as well as multicultural and feminist psychologists, Tummala-Narra presents a theoretical framework that reflects the realities of clients' lives and addresses the complex sociocultural issues that influence their experiences, identity, and psychological health.

Psychoanalytic theory proves to be particularly valuable in exploring:

The client's and the therapist's indigenous cultural narratives, and the conscious and unconscious meanings and motivations that accompany these narratives The role of context in how clients use language and express affect in psychotherapy The experience of social oppression and its impact on the therapeutic process The dynamic nature of culture, which means that individuals negotiate complex, intersecting cultural identifications An expanded form of self-examination in which the therapist reflects on his or her own sociocultural context

In examining these questions, the author provides engaging case illustrations from her own clinical practice, as well as findings from her research with youth of immigrant origin. This book will appeal not only to practitioners of psychoanalytic psychology but to all those interested in the constantly evolving theory and research on effective practice with diverse clients.

Pratyusha (Usha) Tummala-Narra received her doctorate in clinical psychology at Michigan State University. She is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College; a teaching associate in psychiatry at the Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School; and in independent practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In the course of her career, Dr. Tummala-Narra has held several academic and clinical positions in Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington, DC. Her research interests focus on the intersections of culture, race, gender, immigration, and trauma, and culturally informed psychotherapy practice. Her clinical scholarship has focused on psychoanalytic perspectives on the relationship between sociocultural context and identity and its influence on the therapeutic process.

While psychoanalytic scholars often address specific aspects of diversity such as gender, race, immigration, religion, sexual orientation, and social class, the literature lacks a set of core principles to inform and support culturally competent practice. This approachable volume responds to that pressing need. Drawing on the contributions of psychoanalytic scholars as well as multicultural and feminist psychologists, Tummala-Narra presents a theoretical framework that reflects the realities of clients' lives and addresses the complex sociocultural issues that influence their experiences, identity, and psychological health. Psychoanalytic theory proves to be particularly valuable in exploring: The client's and the therapist's indigenous cultural narratives, and the conscious and unconscious meanings and motivations that accompany these narratives The role of context in how clients use language and express affect in psychotherapy The experience of social oppression and its impact on the therapeutic process The dynamic nature of culture, which means that individuals negotiate complex, intersecting cultural identifications An expanded form of self-examination in which the therapist reflects on his or her own sociocultural context In examining these questions, the author provides engaging case illustrations from her own clinical practice, as well as findings from her research with youth of immigrant origin. This book will appeal not only to practitioners of psychoanalytic psychology but to all those interested in the constantly evolving theory and research on effective practice with diverse clients.

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