Interviewing Clients across Cultures: A Practitioner's Guide

by Lisa Aronson Fontes

Packed with practical pointers and examples, this indispensable, straight-talking guide helps professionals conduct productive interviews while building strong working relationships with culturally and linguistically diverse clients. Chapters cover verbal and nonverbal ways to build rapport and convey respect; how to overcome language barriers, including effective use of interpreters; culturally competent interviews with children and adolescents; and key issues in working with immigrants and refugees. Strategies for avoiding common cross-cultural misunderstandings and producing fair, accurate reports are presented. Every chapter concludes with thought-provoking discussion questions and resources for further reading.

334 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2008

About the author

Lisa Aronson Fontes, PhD, is on the faculty of the University Without Walls at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has dedicated two decades to making the social service, mental health, criminal justice, and medical systems more responsive to culturally diverse people. Dr. Fontes has published widely on cultural issues in child maltreatment and violence against women, cross-cultural research, and ethics. She has worked as a family, individual, and group psychotherapist, and has conducted research in Santiago, Chile, and with Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and European Americans in the United States. She also worked for three years with Somali refugees. In 2007 Dr. Fontes was awarded a Fulbright Foundation Fellowship, which she completed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she is a frequent conference speaker and workshop facilitator.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A required text for my Clinical and Diagnostic Interviewing class which was also an enjoyable and informative. This was not specific to counseling and can be applied to anyone who deals with clients across cultures-- which in today's world is probably anyone with clients. All sorts of information like how to discuss difficult or sensitive topics, using an interpreter, and addressing the power dynamics at play within family groups and between the interviewer and interviewee.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book serves more as a reference for how to work with people who are different from the clinician. It is a nice overview, and provides some thoughtful food. I feel that Fontes does a good job of balancing the need for cultural competence with an open and curious stance. At times it is dry, but overall helpful.