Latino Families in Therapy, by C. J. Falicov

The first edition of Celia Jaes Falicov’s Latino Families in Therapy: A Multicultural Perspective was published in 1998. Prompted by the realization that culture is a critical part of clinical encounters with her clients, and the recognition that bringing cultural sensitivity to her family therapy practice necessitated “bridging the gap” between the context of her own cultural experiences and that of her clients, Falicov set out to write the book as a way of bringing “a map of cultural inclusion in psychotherapy” (p. x). The author succeeded in her intention. She created a work that promoted a conceptualization of culture that is multidimensional, and presented the therapist as someone who is “culturally attuned” rather than “culturally encapsulated (i.e., unable to see others through a varied cultural lens).” Furthermore, Falicov posits that the therapist, as part of the “cultural equation,” is also to be considered as a component of the client’s ecology in the therapeutic encounter. As a way of demonstrating how culture and sociocultural factors intersect and connect in family therapy, Falicov created not a new model of psychotherapy, but a “cultural generalist” (p. 8) framework to be used in understanding Latino families from a holistic perspective. This perspective includes consideration of critical aspects of families’ cultural identities, the family’s ecological context, the impact of their experiences within those contexts (e.g., oppression, marginalization), and a “position that doesn’t focus on all the details of each culture or subculture being discussed” (p. 10). The multidimensional (M) ecosystemic (E) comparative approach (CA), or MECA, the name Falicov has given to the framework she has created, is delineated in Part I of the book. Falicov describes and defines MECA’s principal ideas and rationale, outlines the four domains, and discusses the model’s possible applications. In addition, and an invaluable aspect of the book, Falicov provides an example that demonstrates the model’s application in assessing and treating a family, including the therapist’s cultural and theoretical stance in working with the family. Part II of the book provides background social/historical information (albeit briefly) on Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans, and then describes