Abstract
Minority clients still experience mental health disparities due to barriers in accessing and receiving quality mental health treatments. Research shows that empirically supported treatments (EST) may not be as effective for minority populations. Culturally adapted interventions have shown positive results in decreasing mental health symptoms. However, it is unclear how cultural factors should be included in mental health treatments. This chapter summarizes existing literature on cultural factors (e.g., racial and ethnic match, cultural identity, face concerns) and how they influence treatment processes and outcomes. The proximal-distal model is proposed as a promising framework to guide interventions to be more culturally relevant, and to help clinicians identify potential barriers for their minority clients and adapt treatment for their specific needs.
Keywords
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Nishioka, S.A., Huang, C.Y., Zane, N. (2020). Friend or Foe: Empirically Supported Treatments for Culturally Minority Clients. In: Benuto, L.T., Gonzalez, F.R., Singer, J. (eds) Handbook of Cultural Factors in Behavioral Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32229-8_8
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