Cultural Sensitivity and the Treatment of “Minority” Clients

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Cultural Sensitivity and the Treatment of “Minority” Clients
Cultural sensitivity is important in the development of therapies for all clients, and particularly clients from communities historically marginalized by psychiatry and by the dominant culture in general. Individuals from most identity groups that have been labeled as “minority” or marginalized tend to experience greater levels of mood and anxiety disorders than the population in general. This is not due to an inevitable consequence of being African-American, a woman, elderly, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, but as a result of the minority stress associated with coming from a marginalized, disenfranchised, and underserved population existing within a dominant culture...

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