This chapter assesses and critiques how current approaches to couple therapy apply to diverse couples and provides a new framework as well as specific steps for culturally competent understanding and treatment of diverse couples. The chapter covers the theory, interventions, and cross-cultural applications of cognitive-behavioral, systems, and psychodynamic models of couple therapy, as they represent the three major theoretical orientations that are applied to couple therapy, and also covers emotionally focused therapy (EFT) and the Gottman method of couple therapy, which are the best-known data-supported approaches developed specifically for couples. It considers the empirical support for these five approaches as well as the notable limitations related to their shared Eurocentric orientation. To overcome these limitations, the chapter identifies specific examples of cultural competence involving knowledge, dynamic sizing, skills, and awareness. A case example demonstrates the application of a new model of the four mechanisms by which cultural competence may operate, including worldviews and values, experiences and contexts, power differences, and felt distance between both members of the couple with each other and the therapist. This framework is likely to yield a more focused and useful application of cultural competence in couple therapy that counters the limitations of traditional treatments. THEORETICALLY DRIVEN APPROACHES TO COUPLE THERAPYThe sections that follow review approaches to couples therapy derived from dominant theories of psychotherapeutic intervention (cognitivebehavioral, systems, and psychodynamic) and their cross-cultural application. Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches to CouplesTheory, background, and interventions. Cognitivebehavioral couple therapy is rooted in a convergence of Mowrer' s two-factor theory of classical and operant conditioning, cognitive theory, and social learning principles. All cognitive-behavioral theories emphasize functional analysis, which refers to cognitive, behavioral, and affective contingencies that shape behavior across repeating positive and negative couple interactions (Baucom, Epstein, LaTaillade, & Kirby, 2008). A common behavioral pattern with distressed couples is negative reciprocity, in which one person perceives the other' s behavior as negative and thus reciprocates with a negative behavior, beginning a continuous cycle (Baucom et al., 2008). During these interactions, cognitive and emotional problems also occur. For example, one partner might attribute the other' s negative behavior to immutable personality characteristics, which is a cognitive distortion, and the other may be unable to adaptively identify, express, and cope with emotions experienced in the relationship (Baucom et al., 2008).Traditional cognitive-behavioral interventions include skill building related to behavioral exchange, communication, problem solving, cognitive restructuring, and affect regulation (e.g., Baucom et al., 2008). Newer cognitive-behavioral approaches, such as

Individuals who experience serious mental illness (SMI) frequently encounter stigma and disenfranchisement. Attention to this concern necessitates a social justice focus within the mental health field. This article explores the significance and critical foundations of a psychology training experience grounded in a social justice and recovery-oriented perspective to answer the call for a focus on social justice and empowerment for individuals with SMI in mental health recovery. A specific training program is highlighted as an example of how social justice and recovery-oriented psychology training can be conducted. It includes theoretical foundations, trainee and supervision factors, a training model, and a description of didactic, clinical, consultation, interdisciplinary, and recovery-initiative training experiences. Last, specific successes and challenges of this type of training experience, as well as recommendations for future program development, are shared.

The current study is an exploratory factor analysis of the African Self-Consciousness Scale (ASCS), a 42-item self-report measure of Afrocentricity, or the degree to which African American individuals espouse African-centered cultural, social, and political identities. Previous research has produced inconsistent results regarding the latent dimensionality and psychometric properties of the ASCS. With a sample of 348 African Americans, the current study conducts a methodologically rigorous exploratory factor analysis of ASCS scores. The study also examines convergent validity of the measure as compared to a measure of African Americans' endorsements of negative stereotypes of Blacks. Factor analysis produced strong support for a two-factor model of the ASCS.Further support for the validity of the ASCS was found when the factor assessing nonAfrocentric or anti-Afrocentric beliefs correlated significantly with the measure of stereotypes. This evidence strongly suggests that the ASCS is not a unidimensional measure. Implications of these findings for the use of the ASCS and recommendations for further investigation are discussed.

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