For racial minority immigrants in the United States, trauma can have both historical and ongoing sources. Today’s immigrants face a dangerous mix of rising nationalism and xenophobia, alarming rates of displacement within and across nations, war, trafficking, terrorism, and deportation. Multiple traumas stem from these experiences and can be exacerbated by interpersonal violence and other forms of marginalization within communities. This book examines the lasting impact of trauma for racial minority immigrants and subsequent generations.
Each chapter explores both the stress and resilience of immigrant groups in the United States, as well as clinical or community-based efforts to address the multiple traumas that affect immigrants and their children. While considering the socioecological contexts of immigrants, the chapters reflect a diversity of theoretical perspectives needed to expand existing treatments for trauma, such as multicultural, feminist, womanist, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and humanistic theories.
In the nuanced pages of this book, you will deepen your understanding of the immigrant experience and develop professional skills to help heal traumatic stress faced by racial minority immigrants. Reviews In this groundbreaking volume, Tummala-Narra, long a leading voice in making psychology truly multiculturally relevant, has gathered diverse, cutting-edge contributions from foundational and emerging psychologists, most of whom are members of racial and ethnic minority groups; several are themselves immigrants or children of immigrants. Every psychological scientist and every mental health clinician reading this essential work will come away empowered to support the often traumatized—yet vibrant and resilient—immigrant communities we serve. — Richard Ruth, PhD, Associate Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, September 2020 Immigrants have long experienced nativist xenophobia and racism, from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to Trump’s recent call to build a wall. This book is the first to explore in depth the personal trauma endured by immigrants, including their American-born children. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about the persisting historic effects of racism on immigrants. — Amado M. Padilla, PhD, Professor of Developmental and Psychological Sciences, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, September 2020 Tummala-Narra and colleagues capture the realities of the lived experiences of immigrants. The focus on resilience, liberation, the application of theory to practice, and, ultimately, healing makes this book essential for any understanding of the past, present, and future of the United States. — Miguel E. Gallardo, PsyD, Professor and Program Director, Aliento, Pepperdine University, Los Angeles, CA, September 2020 About the Author Pratyusha Tummala-Narra, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College. She is also in independent practice in Cambridge, MA. Her scholarship focuses on immigration, trauma, and cultural competence and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. She has served as the chair of the Multicultural Concerns Committee and as member-at-large in APA Division 39 (Psychoanalysis), and as a member of the APA Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs, the APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration, and the APA Task Force on Revising the Multicultural Guidelines. She is author of Psychoanalytic Theory and Cultural Competence in Psychotherapy. |