| This study explores disparity in Latino mental health services through Latina psychologists' narratives. Cultural psychology and qualitative approaches were the frameworks. In-depth-interviews, literature review, and the researcher's participant observer posture were the methods. The narrative model used emphasizes the theoretical as personal and political, and it views the process as a reciprocal interaction and as a conversation about a topic of mutual interest.; Disparity in mental health services is a gap in the quantity and quality of services, the cultural incompetence of the traditional psychology to meet the needs of Latinos. This cultural incompetence is postulated as (1) a historical product, (2) a manifestation of racism and social injustice, and (3) the result of socially oppressive economic and ideological structures. As a historical product, cultural incompetence is the results of the traditional theoretical rigidity and political myopia of general psychology. This research points how much time is consumed in the process of becoming culturally competent, how different it is to work with Latinos; and how complex is the process of understanding disparity and human diversity.; Participants were Latina researchers, practitioners, and scholars in the field of Latino psychology. They explored a variety of theoretical and practical issues related to disparity, such as ethnic identity of Latinos, ethical violations in Latino mental health services, the use of translation in psychological evaluations, and educational, economic, political factors in disparity. This study describes the coping skill and strategies that participants used to complete their training, the progress they have observed in the field of psychology, and what they would do if they had the power to make changes. The contributions of this study are: descriptions of the experience of disparity, explanations of its roots, reviews of progress in the field, and theoretical discussions about cultural competence and cultural psychology. Cultural psychology is explored as a romantic school of thought and as liberation psychology. To summarize: (1) The field of psychology and academia were the contexts; (2) Disparity the topic; (3) Qualitative inquiries the method; (4) Cultural psychology the theoretical tool; (5) Solidarity the language; (6) Cultural competence the ultimate goal; (7) Liberation the process; (8) Social consciousness the result. |
