Psychotheraphy With Deaf Clients from Diverse Groups

Rating:
Summary: Essential reading for anyone in the field
Review: To date, there are only a handful of books on psychotherapy with deaf persons and this excellent book is unquestionably the most authoritative and comprehensive to date. Working consistently from the new cultural paradigm for understanding deafness (i.e., seeing deaf people as making up a distinct cultural group rather than a group of persons with a disability), Dr. Leigh's book is groundbreaking in that it is the first to address cultural diversity within the Deaf community. The chapter contributors, many of whom are deaf themselves, are recognized authorities on various aspects of psychotherapy with deaf persons. The first chapter, "On being a psychotherapist with deaf persons," is written by two Deaf pioneer psychologists, Allen Sussman and Barbara Brauer, and presents an overview of the clinical and cross-cultural issues any mental health practitioner with deaf persons needs to understand. Subsequent chapters address diversity of deaf consumer knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and experiences, the particular challenges and contributions of Deaf therapists, special issues in psychotherapy with deaf persons from various additional minority groups, and treatment of deaf persons who have HIV/AIDS, Usher syndrome, chemical dependency, who have experienced sexual abuse and who are from the subgroup of deaf people known as "traditionally underserved." Although the chapter contributors have fully grounded their work in the available research literature, this is a book for both academics and practitioners. The many case examples given are welcome and bring the theoretical issues to life for the reader. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in mental health treatment of deaf persons. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Essential reading for anyone in the field
Review: To date, there are only a handful of books on psychotherapy with deaf persons and this excellent book is unquestionably the most authoritative and comprehensive to date. Working consistently from the new cultural paradigm for understanding deafness (i.e., seeing deaf people as making up a distinct cultural group rather than a group of persons with a disability), Dr. Leigh's book is groundbreaking in that it is the first to address cultural diversity within the Deaf community. The chapter contributors, many of whom are deaf themselves, are recognized authorities on various aspects of psychotherapy with deaf persons. The first chapter, "On being a psychotherapist with deaf persons," is written by two Deaf pioneer psychologists, Allen Sussman and Barbara Brauer, and presents an overview of the clinical and cross-cultural issues any mental health practitioner with deaf persons needs to understand. Subsequent chapters address diversity of deaf consumer knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and experiences, the particular challenges and contributions of Deaf therapists, special issues in psychotherapy with deaf persons from various additional minority groups, and treatment of deaf persons who have HIV/AIDS, Usher syndrome, chemical dependency, who have experienced sexual abuse and who are from the subgroup of deaf people known as "traditionally underserved." Although the chapter contributors have fully grounded their work in the available research literature, this is a book for both academics and practitioners. The many case examples given are welcome and bring the theoretical issues to life for the reader. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in mental health treatment of deaf persons. [e-mail]