Multicultural Theories

Question 1

cultural psychoanalysis

Answer 1

The study of how core psychoanalytic constructs (like schemas, attachment patterns, unconscious expectations) develop within a cultural context, shaped by social structures, caregiving environments, and shared cultural meanings.

Question 2

transcultural psychology

Answer 2

Examines how psychological processes differ across cultures, and how psychological theories must adapt when applied across diverse cultural groups.

Question 3

psychoeducation

Answer 3

Providing clients with information about psychological concepts, distress, treatment, or coping strategies in a way that is culturally accessible, relevant, and empowering.

Question 4

What is the education for the oppressed model?

Answer 4

1973 model arguing that dominant cultural systems maintain inequality, and that a lack of culturally relevant education reinforces oppression.
Therapy must help clients develop critical consciousness so they can recognize and navigate oppressive structures.

Question 5

What is reevaluation co-counseling?

Answer 5

A peer-based counseling approach (1998) in which individuals listen to each other to process and recover from racism, classism, sexism, and other oppressive experiences.

Question 6

What are some reasons we consider culture?

Answer 6

Cultural beliefs shape attitudes about therapy, help-seeking, stigma.

Past oppression → intergenerational trauma.

Mistrust of systems (e.g., “Black folk don’t go to therapy”).

Cultural norms around self-reliance, religion, community.

Culture influences emotion expression, coping, values, and interpretations of distress.

Within-group variability → no cultural group is monolithic.

Question 7

List and explain the stages of minority identity development.

MID : CDRIS

think midlife crisis

MID CDRIS

conformity, dissonance, resistanceimmersion, introspecion, synergy awareness

Answer 7

Conformity – internalize dominant culture’s values; may adopt negative beliefs about own group (e.g., internalized racism).

Dissonance – begin questioning dominant messages; sense of conflict emerges.

Resistance–Immersion – reject dominant culture; immerse in minority identity and values.

Introspection – recognize limitations of rigid stances; seek individuality.

Synergetic / Integrative Awareness – fully integrate minority and majority cultural identities into a flexible, authentic sense of self.

Question 8

List and explain the stages of sexual orientation identity development.

SOID : C C T A PS

CCTAPS

Answer 8

Confusion – questioning one’s sexual orientation.

Comparison – noticing differences, exploring possibilities.

Tolerance – recognizing but not fully accepting minority identity.

Acceptance – increasing contact with LGBTQ+ communities.

Pride – embracing pride and rejecting heteronormativity.

Synthesis – integrating minority and majority world; comfort with all aspects of identity.

Question 9

List and explain the two types of worldviews. How do worldviews play a role in therapy?

Answer 9

Collectivistic worldview

Identity tied to group, harmony, tradition, family, social norms.
Therapy must consider community values, relational expectations, family dynamics.

Individualistic worldview

Emphasizes autonomy, personal goals, independence, internal traits.
Therapy may focus more on self-expression and personal choice.

Therapeutic relevance:
Therapists must avoid imposing their own worldview and instead build treatment around the client’s cultural lens.

Question 10

What is the concept of intersectionality?

Answer 10

People hold multiple identities (e.g., race, gender, SES, disability), which interact to shape privilege, oppression, and lived experience.
No single identity category explains a person’s cultural position.

Question 11

List the parts of the ADDRESSING framework and explain them.

Answer 11

A – Age

D – Developmental or Acquired Disabilities

R – Religion/Spirituality

E – Ethnicity/Race

S – Socioeconomic status

S – Sexual orientation

I – Indigenous heritage

N – National origin

G – Gender

Used to help therapists reflect on identity, privilege, risk factors, and how clients’ cultural contexts shape therapy.

Question 12

How does cultural adaptation occur?

Answer 12

Involving culturally diverse people in treatment development.

Integrating collectivist or community-based values.

Attending to religion and spirituality.

Accounting for acculturation level and cultural loss among immigrants/refugees.

Acknowledging oppression, racism, historical trauma.

Modifying interventions to be culturally congruent.

Question 13

What is cultural competence, and what are the steps to it?

Answer 13

Cultural competence: the therapist’s ability to understand, appreciate, and effectively work with cultural differences.

Five steps (continuum):

Cultural Destructiveness – actively harmful, racist, or oppressive.

Cultural Incapacity – paternalistic “we know better” stance.

Cultural Blindness – ignores culture (“we’re all just people”).

Cultural Pre-Competence – aware culture matters but unsure how to respond.

Cultural Competence – values diversity, adapts treatment, reflects on own identity.

Question 14

What are the features of culturally competent therapists?

Answer 14

Value and appreciate diversity.

Manage differences in worldview without judgment.

Self-reflect on biases, identity, and power.

Adapt interventions to client’s culture.

Incorporate religious, social, and cultural knowledge.

Build cultural empathy and cultural awareness.

Avoid assumptions; remain curious and humble.

Question 15

What’s the difference between ethnorelative and ethnocentric?

Answer 15

Ethnocentric: one’s own culture is the default or “superior”; interprets others through that lens.

Ethnorelative: able to adapt to and value cultural differences; flexible worldview.

Question 16

What are the goals of multicultural therapy? What does healing result from?

Answer 16

Goals

Address cultural trauma, injustice, intergenerational harm.
Build cultural resilience.
Validate experiences of microaggressions.
Empower clients within meaningful cultural contexts.

Healing results from:

Empowerment
Sharing perspectives
Cultural meaning-making
Working in culturally relevant frameworks

Question 17

Describe the therapeutic alliance in multicultural therapy.

Answer 17

Must align with client’s expectations for authority, formality, and relational norms.

Therapist adjusts style (directive vs nondirective) based on cultural context.

Therapist acknowledges power, privilege, and differences.

Alliance built through respect, humility, flexibility, and cultural attunement.

Question 18

Explain multicultural assessment. What are the four primary components of multicultural
assessment

Answer 18

Explanatory model of distress
How the client explains their suffering (may not match DSM).

Cultural formulation & analysis
Which cultural factors contribute to meaning, distress, or resilience.

Cultural genogram
Family cultural history, migration, traditions, language shifts.

Ethnocultural assessment
How the client relates to heritage, integrates identity, and functions across multiple cultural domains.

Question 19

Describe cultural empathy.

Answer 19

A learned ability to understand and affirm the experiences of culturally diverse clients through informed cultural knowledge, emotional attunement, and respectful interpretation.

Involves:

Being an empathic witness

Understanding within-group differences

Avoiding assumptions

Seeing distress in cultural context

Question 20

Describe the four aspects of a proper dialogue on cultural differences and similarities.
a. Suspend:
b. Recognize:
c. Consider:
d. Acknowledge

SRCA

Answer 20

a. Suspend:
Suspend assumptions, stereotypes, and preconceptions.

b. Recognize:
Recognize that individuals differ even within the same cultural group.

c. Consider:
Consider how therapist–client differences influence the relationship and meaning of behavior.

d. Acknowledge:
Acknowledge the role of power, privilege, oppression, and cultural dynamics in therapy.

Question 21

What are some of the possible dynamics that can arise between therapist and client with
transference and countertransference

INTERethnic - diff ethnics

INTRA - same ethnics

ER, we’re not the same

RA, we’re similar

Answer 21

Ethnic Transference (patient projects onto therapist)

Interethnic transference (between two cultures ex: white therapist, minority client)
overcompliance, mistrust, denial, ambivalence

Intraethnic transference (matched ethnicity)
views therapist as omniscient or omnipotent; traitor (betrayal of culture); autoracist
Omniscient: They should just know
Autoracism: projection of internalized racisms

Ethnic Countertransference (about therapist onto patient)

Interethnic countertransference:
deny cultural differences, become overly curious about differences at the expense of psychological needs, guilt or pity

Intraethnic countertransference:
overidentification; shared victimization; distancing; survivor’s guilt, cultural myopia (can’t see clearly)

Question 22

What are the mechanisms of multicultural therapy?

Answer 22

Developing cultural consciousness

Meaning-making in cultural context

Building resilience and cultural pride

Processing cultural trauma

Increasing empowerment and self-efficacy

Question 23

Describe the evidence base for multicultural therapy.

Answer 23

Ethnic matching shows weak or inconsistent benefits.

Therapist competence, compassion, and worldview alignment matter more.

Culturally adapted treatments improve client satisfaction and sometimes outcomes.

Need more research on:

Role of language
Cultural context of therapist self-disclosure
Cultural resilience
Which treatments best fit which cultural groups

Question 24

theory of personality?

Answer 24

CDRIS model

Question 25

theory of psychotherapy?

Answer 25

Cultural adaptation – when developing and giving psychotherapy Involve diverse people in development Include collectivist values The US has individualistic world views but also considers some Attend to religion Consider how religion could increase recovery or impede Pay attention to relevance of acculturation Immigrants and refugees, how losing culture may impact them Acknowledge effects of opression Cultural Competence - we want culture competence within therapists Healing results from Empowerment Sharing multiple perspectives Anchored in meaningful and relevant contexts

Question 26

black folk don't ..."model

Answer 26

Why consider culture? Black Folk Dont (Comments from Black Individuals) Medical field – not trusting doctors Maybe we cant afford it Waste of time Who wants someone telling them whats wrong with them Emotional oppression → forced to deal with it on their own or with family Generational gaps Therapy is a NYC thing, I go to therapy, I think black people go to therapy Weve lived through a lot, why do we need to talk about it now Weve survived slavery we dont need slavery (quote from womens father) Big part of it, black people dont go because they have church Sign of weakness Just got to keep it going It was made for white people, why would we go to that Going outside of the communitiy for help – you dont trust the community Seen as crazy Its BS ^^^Some of these stigmas are similar across cultures, some are specific to cultures Culture influences our beliefs, behaviors, attitudes Expectations and attitudes for therapy