La Roche, M. J. (2024).
Practice Innovations.
Advance online publication.
Abstract
The American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) release of the multicultural guidelines (Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity, and Intersectionality, American Psychological Association, 2017, and Guidelines on Race and Ethnicity in Psychology: Promoting Responsiveness and Equity, American Psychological Association, 2019) are a welcomed advance to the conceptualization and practice of culture in psychology. These guidelines mark a significant expansion of the previous Multicultural Guidelines (Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice and Organizational Change for Psychologists, American Psychological Association, 2002), which include important advances for the development of multicultural psychotherapies. It is argued that these revisions make them substantially distinct from previous guidelines (American Psychological Association, 1990, 2002) and entail a new generation of multicultural psychotherapies, herein called cultural psychotherapies. Furthermore, these guidelines are particularly timely and applicable to cope with social/racial unrest and in promoting international collaborations. However, in the process of broadening cultural approaches, confusion is created in already contested and evolving cultural concepts. The goal of this article is to clarify and examine the practice implications of cultural psychotherapies and differentiate them from their two predecessors, universalist psychotherapies and racial and ethnic minority psychotherapies. Psychotherapies are distinguished by describing the APA’s multicultural guidelines and contrasting them through two dimensions: (a) meaning of cultural constructs and (b) research methods and evidence.
Impact Statement
Even though a growing number of effective psychotherapy practices have been developed, overall minoritized groups have not benefited from them. Racial/ethnic minority health disparities remain a public health crisis. Nevertheless, during the past decades, psychologists have researched a wide range of interventions to ameliorate racial/ethnic health disparities. As a means to organize the growing diversity of clinical recommendations, the three most frequently used psychotherapeutic approaches with minoritized groups are differentiated, namely, universalist psychotherapies, racial ethnic minority psychotherapies, and cultural psychotherapies. The clinical implications of each are differentiated. Although it is argued that cultural psychotherapies are the most effective and inclusive of the three, significant challenges are highlighted as means to stimulate and clarify future studies and refine clinical work.
Here are some thoughts:
The American Psychological Association's (APA) release of the updated multicultural guidelines in 2017 and 2019 represents a significant advancement in the field of psychology, particularly in addressing cultural competence and diversity. These guidelines mark an important evolution from previous versions and have several key implications:
Expanded conceptualization of culture: The new guidelines take a more comprehensive approach to culture, moving beyond just race and ethnicity to include intersectionality and a broader range of identities and contexts. This reflects a more nuanced understanding of how multiple cultural factors interact to shape individuals' experiences.
Ecological approach: By adopting an ecological model, the guidelines emphasize the importance of considering multiple layers of context in understanding human behavior and experience. This approach recognizes that individuals are influenced by and interact with various systems, from immediate family to broader societal structures.
Focus on intersectionality: The guidelines highlight the complex interplay of multiple identities and how they shape experiences of privilege and oppression. This perspective encourages psychologists to consider the unique combinations of identities that each individual holds.
Emphasis on cultural humility: The guidelines promote a stance of cultural humility, encouraging psychologists to engage in ongoing self-reflection and recognize the limitations of their own cultural knowledge. This approach fosters openness to learning from clients and research participants.
Broader applicability: These guidelines are designed to be relevant across various domains of psychology, including practice, research, education, and organizational change. This comprehensive scope ensures that cultural competence is integrated throughout the field.
Timely response to social issues: The updated guidelines are particularly relevant in addressing current social and racial unrest, providing a framework for psychologists to engage with these issues more effectively.
While these guidelines represent a significant step forward, they also present challenges. The broadened conceptualization of culture may lead to some confusion in already complex cultural concepts. Additionally, the implementation of these guidelines in practice and research may require significant shifts in approach and methodology.
Overall, the APA's multicultural guidelines are a crucial tool for advancing cultural competence in psychology. They encourage a more holistic, context-sensitive approach to understanding human diversity and promote more equitable and effective psychological services and research.
