ETHNIC MINORITY CLIENT SATISFACTION WITH TREATMENT
...nt’s own degree of acculturation (Mokuau, 1986): a) a culture-general outlook, whereby the client is highly committed to the values and traditions of the dominant (Anglo) culture; b) a culture-specific world view held by clients who are highly committed to the values and traditions of a specific cultural group; c) a bicultural perspective held by somebody with simultaneous membership in two different cultures. The Mexican American or Vietnamese American client with a culture-general view might exhibit behaviors which are indicative of their motivation for advancement in Anglo society (such as speaking English only) and reflect a high degree of acculturation; these clients may be best assisted by Anglo therapists (LeVine & Padilla, 1980). The bicultural Mexican American or Vietnamese American client might Page Two have bilingual capabilities and a tendency to mix and switch from culture-general to culture-specific views, suggesting a therapeutic approach which focuses on treatment concerns rather than cultural issues is required (Mokuau, 1986). Mexican American or Vietnamese American clients who are culture-specific in orientation may use only their native language and reside in ethnic enclaves, making treatment difficult unless indigenous forms of helping are made part of the intervention (Ruiz & Casas, 1981). Implicit here is the assumption that bilingualism and biculturality may not be sufficient assets for the therapist working with clients who hold culture-specific world views (LeVine & Padilla, 1980). The enhancement of cross-cultural counseling is an ongoing process. Much remains to be learned about Mexican American and Vietnamese American clients, in part because their societies have evolved folk systems to explain illness which many group members still adhere to (LeVine & Padilla, 1980). However, a client from one of these groups who sustains a psychiatric disability (such as the popularized “stress claim”) during the course and scope of their employment may have no choice but to undergo treatment in order to obtain a release to return to work. Little literature exists to document the post-treatment satisfaction of those Mexican American and Vietnamese American clients who return to their jobs. Operationalization of Terms and Concepts Comparison groups will be identified and obtained using medical records from the Workers’ Compensation Claims Department of the Republic Indemnity Company of America. Subsequently, demographic data on the clients and therapists will be compiled from records in the sample group(s), including ethnicity, language capabilities, length of residence in the United States, etc. Therapists will be screened for their respective culture-specific/culture-general perspectives via existing medical records plus telephone interviews. Clients are to complete a questionnaire which employs a Likert Scale format designed to determine their perspective (culture-general, culture-specific, bicultural) and measure their post-treatment level of satisfaction with their therapy. The questionnaire responses will be compared to items on the W...