Country

The people thus grouped together represent many different countries, cultures, sociopolitical histories, and reasons for being in the United States. Therefore, an important place to begin a clinical interview is to ask about the client’s country of origin.

Proclaiming their nationality is very important to Latinos: it provides a sense of pride and identity that is re?ected in the stories they tell, their music, and their poetry. Longing for their homeland is more pronounced when they are unable to return to their home either because they are here as political exiles, or as illegal aliens, or because they are unable to afford the cost of travel. In therapy, asking the question, “What is your country of origin?” and listening to the client’s stories of immigration helps to engage the therapist and gives the therapist an opportunity to learn about the country the client left behind, the culture, and the reasons for leaving.

Religion and Related Belief Systems

The Catholic Church is very in?uential in many Hispanic cultures. The priest, therefore, is often central in helping solve individual and family problems. Mental health problems are sometimes seen as being caused by evil spirits, and, therefore, the church is the logical place to seek assistance . As a result, mental health professionals may be contacted only after all other avenues in the church and community have been accessed.

Sometimes in the Hispanic culture, it is believed that individuals bring on their own mental and/or physical problems by engaging in certain forms of behavior, and that others can be in?icted with such problems by mal de ojo directed at them . Such beliefs are related to a fatalism that some have identi?ed as common to many Hispanic cultures . Fatalism is a belief that a person cannot do much about his or her fate-adversity and good fortune are out of the control of the individual. In counseling, this belief can be counterproductive when the therapist is trying to encourage clients to take control and begin making changes. On the other hand, it can absolve individuals of blame for traumatic life circumstances that are indeed out of their control. It is ill advised to strongly confront Hispanics regard382 Interviewing Special Populationsing their fatalistic or external locus of control orientation. In some cases, encouragement to become or stay involved with the church may help.