Counseling and Family Therapy with Latino Populations

For the Latino population, the family bond is powerful and enduring. Family serves as the primary source of support, care, guidance, and healing; all difficulties that arise for an individual are surmounted together. Therefore, a practitioner working with a Latino client must gain the trust and respect of the family in order to carry out treatment efficiently. He or she must essentially become a part of that family to encourage members to share their issues without the concern of breaching the confidence of the family. Counseling and Family Therapy with Latino Populations helps the therapist to join the Latino family in order to identify and explore the difficulties that threaten their welfare. With this fundamental principle as the basis, the book's editors and contributors write chapters that focus on work with children and adolescents, group counseling and substance abuse counseling. They incorporate specific case studies, methods, and strategies for intervention and provide insight into the cultural relevance behind each example. This book is a necessary resource for therapists working with Latino clients who wish to offer effective techniques while continuing to value the integrity of family tradition.

"Robert Smith, Esteban Montilla and their collaborators have provided a new paradigm that will allow mental health workers to work in a sensitive and effective fashion within the latino culture. This book clearly shows that being Latino means having an experience unlike that of any other group in the United States. The chapters provide a general understanding of the culture and many specific strategies that can be used in working with families."- From the Series Editor's Foreword by Jon Carlson, Distinguished Professor, Governers State University, USA

Robert L. Smith, Ph.D., FPPR, is Professor and Doctoral Program Coordinator in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. Dr. Smith is also Executive Director of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counseling.Rómulo Esteban Montilla, D.Min, BCPC, is Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor at Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas.