Prescriptive group psychotherapy: A successful application in the treatment of low-income Spanish-speaking clients.

Abstract

Difficulties involved in the delivery of psychotherapeutic services to lower class ethnic minority clients are discussed. The inadequacy of patient centered explanations for therapeutic failures involving Spanish-speaking clients is detailed with recommendations for a prescriptive model of psychotherapy which is both class and culture linked. A case report on the successful application of behaviorally oriented group therapy with low income Spanishspeaking clients is presented as an example of the prescriptive format. THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN AND MENTAL HEALTH CAREThe most frequently discussed issue in Chicano mental health has been their reported underutilization of mental health facilities e.g.,

Group Therapy as Treatment for Depressed Latino Women: A Review of the Literature

“…Group leaders also need to assume a dual role as therapist and advocate for Latino women in their groups Delgado, 1983;Herrera & Sanchez, 1980;Kay et al, 1993;Organista & Dwyer, 1996;Vargas-Willis & Cervantes, 1987). Because many low-income Latino women face environmental, interpersonal, and financial difficulties on a daily basis, group leaders often need to address their clients' immediate social and environmental problems.…”

“…Many articles referred to the group leader as a therapist without giving any additional information (Acosta, 1982;Acosta & Yamamoto, 1984;Arce & Torres-Matrullo, 1982;Azocar et al, 1996, Comas-Diaz, 1981Herrera & Sanchez, 1980;Olarte & Masnik, 1985;Organista, 2000).…”

“…In three studies (Acosta, 1982;Areán & Miranda, 1996;Delgado, 1983), the term "Hispanic" was used instead of "Latino" to describe the sample, but the participants' country of origin was not specified. Four studies (Franklin & Kaufman, 1982;Herrera & Sanchez, 1980;Miranda, Azocar et al, 2003;Organista & Dwyer, 1996) specified their participants' country of origin, resulting in an approximately uniform distribution of the four major Latino subgroups among these studies.…”

“…These approaches included facilitated support groups (Kay et al, 1993), psychosocial and behavioral oriented group processes (Acosta, 1982;Herrera & Sanchez, 1980), pure psychoeducational groups (Araya et al, 2003;Franklin & Kaufman, 1982), behavioral group therapy (Comas-Diaz, 1981, 1985, cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT; Arce & Torres-Matrullo, 1982;Areán & Miranda, 1996;Comas-Diaz, 1981, 1985Miranda, Azocar et al, 2003;Organista, Muñoz, & González, 1994), and cognitivebehavioral group therapy with a psychoeducational component Gallagher-Thompson et al, 2001;Lara et al, 2003aLara et al, , 2003bLewinsohn, Clarke, & Hoberman, 1989;Miranda, Chung et al, 2003;Miranda & Muñoz, 1994;Muñoz et al, 1987;Muñoz et al, 1995;Organista, 1995;Organista & Dwyer, 1996;Satterfield, 1998).…”

Latino practice outcome research: A review of the literature

“…As noted previously, some of the literature on mental health treatment for Latinos has endorsed the employment of behavioral interventions because of the perceived fit with Latinos' psychological orientation, cultural values, and expectations of therapy (Acosta, 1982;Franklin & Kaufman, 1982;Herrera & Sanchez, 1976). As one author describes it, "the behavioral component would be congruent with the [lower-class Puerto Ricans'] present-time orientation, extrospective manner of conceptualizing psychological problems, and their expectations for a concrete tangible approach to treatment" (Rosado, 1980, p. 224).…”