Women of Color: Integrating Ethnic and Gender Identities in Psychotherapy

Rating:
Summary: Dense psychological study of fascinating topic
Review: This is an anthology which investigates the psychological needs of women of color in the US in detail. Most of the contributors are women of color themselves, but there is one contribution by a man. The chapters are divided into regional groups (Latinas, Native Americans, Jamaican women), psychological strategies (feminism, psychopharmacology, and integrationist theory), and special populations (professional women, lesbians, mixed-race women). The articles are long and detailed. The non-psychologist may be scared off, but should try to forge ahead in completing the book. The authors sometimes quote old sources; I'm not sure if this is their being thorough or signifying that little source work exists. The authors often quote other contributors to the volume; I'm not sure if this is the decision of the editors or if this signifies that the authors are the best experts in these areas. I found the theory portion of the book to be the most tiresome. However, the whole book is a good review of the literature and does a good job in pointing to the further scholarship that needs to be done. The book carefully states that women of color would be better off having women of color as their therapists, yet it also faces that reality that most of its readers will be white female therapists who "want to be helpful." I would recommend this anthology seriously to all psychotherapists and any readers interested in womanist/mujerista research.

Rating:
Summary: Dense psychological study of fascinating topic
Review: This is an anthology which investigates the psychological needs of women of color in the US in detail. Most of the contributors are women of color themselves, but there is one contribution by a man. The chapters are divided into regional groups (Latinas, Native Americans, Jamaican women), psychological strategies (feminism, psychopharmacology, and integrationist theory), and special populations (professional women, lesbians, mixed-race women). The articles are long and detailed. The non-psychologist may be scared off, but should try to forge ahead in completing the book. The authors sometimes quote old sources; I'm not sure if this is their being thorough or signifying that little source work exists. The authors often quote other contributors to the volume; I'm not sure if this is the decision of the editors or if this signifies that the authors are the best experts in these areas. I found the theory portion of the book to be the most tiresome. However, the whole book is a good review of the literature and does a good job in pointing to the further scholarship that needs to be done. The book carefully states that women of color would be better off having women of color as their therapists, yet it also faces that reality that most of its readers will be white female therapists who "want to be helpful." I would recommend this anthology seriously to all psychotherapists and any readers interested in womanist/mujerista research.