Abstract
Ethnic and other minorities are overrepresented in forensic and correctional settings. Hence, it is imperative that mental health professionals in these settings consistently develop cultural sensitivity and skills with which to assess and treat these populations appropriately and effectively. The inclusion of clients’ culture has been identified by the American Psychological Association as an integral part of evidence-based treatment (EBT). Moreover, the APA has recently developed guidelines for multicultural competent treatment, which included the need to take into consideration the various cultural identities of clients in addition to their ecological context. In this chapter, we present a framework through which mental health professionals can develop increasingly more cultural sensitivity through an ecological approach and the multicultural counseling competencies (awareness, knowledge, and skills). We also review the literature with respect to the importance of the therapeutic relationship and group cohesion with a particular focus on working with diverse clients in forensic and correctional settings. We then describe examples of EBTs that have been adapted to various cultural groups, such as African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, as well as the evidence for using EBTs with LGBTQ individuals and people from low socioeconomic status. Finally, we provide recommendations on how to apply ETBs for use with diverse clients in forensic or correctional settings.
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Leguizamo, A., Beliveau, P.A., Uber, J.M., Burnham, S., Conrad, M., Zike, N. (2018). Diversity Considerations in the Application of Evidence-Based Interventions with Forensic Clients. In: Jeglic, E., Calkins, C. (eds) New Frontiers in Offender Treatment . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01030-0_7
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