Cross-cultural counseling with the chemically dependent: preparing for service delivery within a culture of violence.

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This article prepares the clinician delivering chemical dependency treatment for more effective work in therapeutic dyads where there are racial, ethnic, or other "differences" between client and therapist. The objective is to prepare clinicians for service delivery within the present culture of violence and for the receipt of additional training in cross-cultural counseling and trauma-resolution psychotherapy. Social learning and unconscious processes are reviewed in order to explain how this culture of violence operates and impacts treatment. The way in which chemically dependent clients of color--especially African-Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos--have been impacted by both personal and cultural trauma is illustrated by a case example. The resolution of clients' personal trauma by properly trained clinicians is presented as relapse prevention and the clients' best defense against becoming a victim of violence and racism. The article ends with a brief description of the recommended clinical technique for this kind of work, and a statement of needed research.