Date of Award

Summer 2020

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Kate Flory

Abstract

Research suggests that culturally adapted interventions are superior to unadapted interventions when used with diverse ethnic groups (Hall et al., 2016). There also exists a growing interest psychological interventions that utilize in mindfulness and psychological acceptance (Masuda, 2014). Moreover, there is a significant need to address health inequities among Hispanics/Latinos given that they comprise the fastest growing ethnically diverse population in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). A recent comprehensive review of the literature on cultural adaptations of MBIs for Hispanics/Latinos indicated several critical gaps in the study of culturally adapted MBIs which included a need to systematically assess cultural adaptations in clinical settings (Castellanos et al., 2019). The present study investigated the intersection of culture and psychotherapy by understanding and contributing to the improvement of mindfulness- based interventions (MBIs) for Hispanic/Latino populations. Eighteen clinicians who reported utilizing MBIs with Hispanic/Latino clients completed interviews. Results demonstrated that clinicians utilize several strategies and theories to implement MBIs with Hispanic/Latino clients (e.g., functional contextualism, intersectionality, cultural humility). We also found that Bernal et al.’s (1995) domains are being widely utilized by clinicians in the U.S. Clinicians also reported on several challenges that they experience when implementing MBIs with Hispanic/Latino clients and ideas for resources that would aid in implementation. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Rights

© 2020, Rebeca Castellanos

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