The Roles of Counseling Psychologists in Reducing Health Disparities

Abstract

This article presents an overview of the health disparities problem that exists among individuals from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds and their majority counterparts. The argument is made that the involvement of counseling psychologists in addressing this health disparities problem presents an opportunity for the field to remain true to its commitment to prevention, multiculturalism, and social justice while becoming more competitive in the health care and health promotion fields. This article highlights the prevalence of health disparities and identifies the primary factors contributing to these disparities. In addition, the roles and approaches that counseling psychologists can adopt to help alleviate this problem are specified.

Acculturative Stress and Diminishing Family Cohesion Among Recent Latino Immigrants

“…Such interventions may exert a greater therapeutic or preventive influence against emotional distress and related health disparities experienced by Latino immigrants [38]. To promote awareness of acculturative stress and its impact on family cohesion, clinicians can serve as consultants to provide technical assistance to local organizations and agencies (e.g., community health centers) [39, 40]. Finally, like the present study, future clinical research and interventions are needed to attend to pre-immigration factors that are likely to impact immigrants’ differential responses to the acculturation process and its inherent challenges and impacts on health.…”

Culturally Tailored Smoking Cessation for Adult American Indian Smokers

“…Other factors that contribute to health disparities in AI/AN and other culturally diverse communities include oppression, socioeconomic challenges, and discrimination (Buki, 2007; Buki & Selem, 2012; Herman et al, 2007; Tucker et al, 2007). In particular, AI/AN communities have suffered centuries of oppression through forced relocation of tribes, language and culture suppression, forced assimilation, and removal of AI/AN children from families to send them to government-run boarding schools (Evans-Campbell, 2008; Whitbeck, Adams, Hoyt, & Chen, 2004).…”

Recruiting and Assessing Recent Young Adult Latina Immigrants in Health Disparities Research

“…For example, an often overlooked difficulty is not only meeting the language/dialect needs of the heterogeneous Latino population and finding measures that have been validated in the general or specific Latino population(s) but also ensuring that measures reflect culture, values, and beliefs of participants from heterogeneous Latino groups (Sue & Dhindsa, ). Furthermore, researchers of sexual activity, HIV/AIDS, and substance use among Latinos have cited challenges in recruitment and participation because of cultural mistrust; values such as marianismo , a gender value that reflects both positive and negative dimensions of Latina femininity and familial hierarchy (Sanchez, Whittaker, Hamilton, & Zayas, ); and stigma (Tucker et al, ). Researchers have attempted to overcome these challenges by suggesting or implementing noteworthy practices such as multistep translation methods, pilot‐testing questionnaires with ethnically diverse Latino groups, and thorough training of interviewers in cultural sensitivity (e.g., Herman et al, ).…”

“…The lack of research may, in part, be due to the difficulty in reaching, recruiting, and assessing this population. Nevertheless, more studies are needed, and counselors are well positioned to study and contribute to this field because this scholarship matches the mission and emerging skill sets of counselors (Buki, ; Buki & Selem, ; Prilleltensky & Nelson, ; Tucker et al, ).…”