Counseling the Hispanic Client: Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans

Abstract

This article describes a general framework that may be used when counseling Cuban American, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican clients. The psychological and sociocultural characteristics of these populations are described. Both differences and similarities among the 3 groups are reviewed. The identification of the client's worldview, cultural values, and family values provides a specific framework for counseling these clients. Specific and general guidelines are provided for the psychological assessment of Cuban American, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican clients.

Age, Gender, and Ethnicity Effects on Parent–Child Discrepancy Using Identical Item Measures

“…In other words, aspects of the Hispanic family may produce greater agreement between parents and children. Specifically, Hispanic families have been found to be ''more close'' and evidence a stronger sense of familial unity than Caucasian families (Altarriba and Bauer 1998). As a result of this strong family cohesion, Hispanics are more inclined to seek advice and support from family members rather than third party professionals (Fuligni and Tseng 1999).…”

Advancing Our Knowledge of ADHD in Latino Children: Psychometric and Cultural Properties of Spanish-Versions of Parental/Family Functioning Measures

“…Examination of means and standard deviations indicate that the current sample of Latino parents reported less parental monitoring than English-speaking samples (e.g., Dadds et al 2003). Unlike European-American families who tend to operate mainly within the immediate family, Latino families tend to be more collectivist and rely more on their extended family and community for childcare and support (Altarriba and Bauer 1998;Cauce and Domenech-Rodriguez 2002). Therefore, it is quite possible that Latino parents report directly monitoring their children less, because their children are being adequately supervised by other members of their extended family or community.…”

Maternal Trauma and Children’s Functioning: The Role of Kinship Social Support

“…In African American families, the extended family network can provide additional support for single-parent families and during times of crisis (Hall, 2008). Similarly, familism, which outlines a strong identification, attachment, and loyalty to extended family, has been documented as an important source of emotional support for Latino families (Altarriba & Bauer, 1998;Keefe & Casas, 1980;Sabogal, Marín, Otero-Sabogal, Marín, & Perez-Stable, 1987). To tailor treatment to meet the needs of diverse families, it is important to better understand multiculturally relevant factors that might mitigate the effects of trauma within the family.…”