Understanding and Dealing with Violence: A Multicultural Approach

How are we to deal with personal and social violence? Given the global reality of daily homicide, rape, torture, and war, more individuals may be considering this question than ever before.

Understanding and Dealing with Violence: A Multicultural Approach situates violence within a social, cultural, and historical context. Edited by distinguished scholars Barbara C. Wallace and Robert T. Carter, this unique volume explores historical factors, socialization influences, and the historical and contemporary dynamics between the oppressed and the oppressor. State-of-the-art research guides a diverse group of psychologists, educators, policy-makers, religious leaders, community members, victims, and perpetrators in finding viable solutions to violence.

This timely guide examines many forms of violence including

• International violence from war and torture
• School and urban violence
• The rape experience of women
• Violence against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals
• Hate crimes against Blacks, Latinos, and Asians
• Systemic violence against people with disabilities

Understanding and Dealing with Violence: A Multicultural Approach offers a comprehensive theory of violence as a psychology of oppression, liberation, and identity development. Readers will understand how invisible violence may precede visible violence, and how the oppressed are transformed into oppressors. Blending scholarly and personal perspectives on ethnic cleansing, physical and sexual assault, terrorism, and police brutality, an inclusive group of contributors fuel hope that humanity can break the cycle of violence.

An indispensable resource for psychologists, educators, researchers, and mental health clinicians, Understanding and Dealing with Violence: A Multicultural Approach is also an ideal primer for undergraduate and graduate students in courses on violence, peace studies, and conflict resolution.

Barbara C. Wallace, Ph.D. is Associate Professor or Health Education within the Department of Health and Behaviors Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Wallace is a New York State Licensed Psychologist. She specializes in the treatment of those presenting chemical dependency, and histories of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence, and HIV/AIDS. She maintains a private practice and specializes in not only the treatment of those in recovery from chemical dependency and various forms of trauma, abuse and violence; she also provides spiritual counseling, couples counseling, and same-sex relationships counseling. Dr. Wallace has presented regionally, nationally and internationally, specializing in "training the trainers," or training other practitioners who can implement those techniques she has pioneered and refined in her front-line work (in the trenches, so to speak) with those impacted by the multiple epidemics involving drugs, HIV/AIDS, family trauma, and social and personal forms of visible and invisible violence. Dr. Wallace has developed a reputation for being an especially dynamic presenter, covering topics such as the following: chemical dependency treatment; relapse prevention for a range of problem behaviors; trauma resolution for survivors of multiple forms of abuse; multicultural competency and diversity training; violence prevention and intervention; and social action for social justice. Her work reflects a deep rooted commitment to social justice and ending the oppression of all humankind.

Dr. Wallace is the author of numerous journal articles, articles in community-based publications, and several book volumes: Crack Cocaine: A Practical Treatment Approach for the Chemically Dependent (Brunner/Mazel, Inc., 1991); The Chemically Dependent: Phases of Treatment and Recovery (Editor/Author, Brunner/Mazel, Inc., 1992); Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families: Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment for Community Mental Health Promotion (Praeger Publishers, 1996). She is currently working on two books and several papers and chapters in edited books, reflecting her current research in the areas of addiction treatment, methadone to abstinence treatment outcome, multicultural counseling, and multicultural competence training.

Dr. Wallace, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania traveled for the first time in the summer of 1999 to her spiritual home in Africa and rejoined her ancestral, indigenous Akan family through sacred ritual in the mountains of Larteh, Ghana. On January 6, 2000 in the presence of clan elders, sponsors, several chiefs, numerous priests, and loving family members, Dr., Wallace was enstooled as the Asona Aberadehemaa--being named Nana Ohemaa Agyiriwah. In Philadelphia, she serves the Asona Aberade Shrine as Queen Mother, also providing guidance and counseling within this context.

Robert T. Carter, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology and Education, Chair of the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, and Director of training of the Counseling Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia university. Dr. Carter is known internationally for his work on Black and White racial identity. He has published in the areas of psychotherapy processes and outcome, career development, cultural values, racial identity issues, educational achievements and equality in education through the lens of racial identity. He has been retained to consult as organizational, legal and educational issues associated with race and diversity. Dr. Carter also is the Conference Director for a national conference known as the Teachers College Winter Roundtable on Cross-Cultural Psychology and Education

Dr. Robert T. Carter, Ph.D. authored The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy: Towards a Racially Inclusive Model (John Wiley & Sons; 1995); co-edited with Chalmer E. Thompson Racial Identity Theory: Applications for Individuals, Groups and Organizations (Lawrence Erlbaum, 1997); co-authored with D. Sue, J.M.Casas, M.J. Fouad, A. Levy, M. Jensen, LaFromboise, J. Manese, J. Ponterotto, and J. Vasques-Natall Multicultural Counseling Competencies: Individual Professional and Organizational Development (Sage Publication, 1998); and is series editor for the Discussions from the Roundtable- The Counseling Psychologists and the Roundtable Book Series on Multicultural Psychology and Education (Sage publications). He is co-editor for the special issue of the Teachers College Record on Multicultural Education (Spring 2000).

Dr. Carter is also a legal consultant. He works with organizations and individuals on such issues as organizational development , teacher training, desegregation, racial discrimination, cross cultural adoption, and biracial custody. He is Fellow in the American Psychological Association (Div. 17, Counseling Psychology, and 45, Society for the Study of Ethnic Minority Issues) and former Chair of the Fellowship Committee for Division 17. He has also served on the editorial boards of The Counseling Psychologist, Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Counseling Psychology and Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development.