Costantino, Giuseppe, Dana, Richard H., & Malgady, Robert G. Temas Assessment in Multicultural Societies

Adolescence, Winter, 2007

COSTANTINO, Giuseppe, DANA, Richard H., & MALGADY, Robert G. TEMAS (Tell-Me-A-Story) Assessment in Multicultural Societies. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2007. 512pp. $49.95 (h).

Ethnic minority children now comprise over 75 percent of students in 100 of the largest cities in the United States. However, these students have not been given equal access to, nor benefited from, the contemporary mental health system as have their non-minority peers. TEMAS (Tell-Me-A-Story) Assessment in Multicultural Societies examines the health/mental care system in which professional service providers, including psychologists, labor to offer quality care for youth in the United States. The authors support the use of the TEMAS assessment instrument as a useful tool for diagnosis of all youngsters, particularly its use on the growing population of minority children and adolescents. The book begins by presenting a rationale and context for employing TEMAS. Introductory chapters describe the mental health status of the population at-risk, as well as systems of care for youth where assessment and intervention are components. Topics then highlight a history of positive TEMAS test reviews with the detail required by instructors for preparing dedicated TEMAS courses. The volume thoroughly outlines cross-cultural studies and illustrates case examples of European-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-American, and forensic studies.