A Multicultural/Multimodal/Multisystems Approach to Working with Culturally Different Families. - Review - book review

Adolescence, Spring, 1998

GOPAUL-McNICOL, Sharon-ann. A Multicultural/Multimodal/Multisystems Approach to Working with Culturally Different Families. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1997. l6Opp. $55.00 (h).

This book introduces a model for intellectual assessment--a bio-ecological approach--as well as a model for psychotherapy--the Multicultural/Multimodal/Multisystems (MULTI-CMS) approach. Part 1 examines historical and contemporary perspectives of the influence of culture on an individual's functioning. This section also gives a wake-up call to the mental health field with respect to the need for an ethical mandate to examine alternatives to traditional assessment and counseling techniques. Part 2 explores intellectual assessment issues, educational and visual motor assessment, and ways of misassessing and misdiagnosing the personality of culturally different individuals. Best practices in report writing for the linguistically and culturally different client are also examined. Part 3 offers treatment interventions, with a focus on salient issues to be cognizant of when counseling the culturally different, and the major treatment approaches. The MULTI-CMS model for treatment is explored in detail, and two case studies of linguistically and culturally diverse families are presented. Part 4 offers training suggestions for mental health workers, with an emphasis on the major competencies needed for developing multicultural skills. Last, a vision for the mental health field is proposed via a multisystem interdisciplinary approach.