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The field of multicultural counseling stresses the impacts of ethnic culture and oppression on clients, counselors, and counseling situations, while writings on child sex abuse have largely neglected these issues. This dissertation provides a theoretical integration of basic concepts from multicultural counseling with issues in the prevention, understanding and treatment of child sex abuse. This dissertation also includes a study of the impact of culture and oppression in therapy for child sex abuse for members of a specific ethnic group--low-income Puerto Ricans in the United States. For the study, psychotherapists who have experience working with low-income Puerto Ricans on issues of child sex abuse, and Puerto Rican women who were sexually abused as children were interviewed about the therapy in which they have participated. The report focuses on impediments to disclosing sexual abuse for Puerto Rican children and their families. Factors related to Puerto Ricans' status as an oppressed minority in the mainland United States, including discrimination, poverty and lack of bilingual services, are identified as making it difficult for Puerto Rican children to disclose. In addition, aspects of Puerto Rican culture including the widespread use of corporal punishment, the high value placed on virginity, and taboos around discussing sexuality are identified as further hindering disclosures. Suggestions for facilitating disclosures in this population include increasing the number of well-trained bilingual people in education, medicine, and social services; increasing the quality and availability of sex education in the schools; and providing training on child sex abuse prevention and detection to members of Puerto Rican communities. The implications of considering culture and oppression in our understanding of child sex abuse are outlined for theory, research and psychotherapy.

The interview method was used to conduct a qualitative case study in a large business corporation to discover the organizational culture that supports moving minority employees into management positions, the management practices that enables the phenomena to occur, and the experiences of minority employees who have become managers. The literature was reviewed to explore studies that presented data from African American's perspective about corporate life in America and the specific themes that emerged during this research project. Those themes are culture, learning organization, motivation, leadership, goals, reward, group development, and mentoring. This researcher found little empirical work existing on mentoring and few adequate models that utilize mentoring as a legitimate management development strategy. Therefore the researcher created theoretical constructs and the MENTOR model to improve practice in this area. The findings of this investigation are that organizational culture is based on the assumptions, values, and norms shared by organizational members, that a company can create a culture that values all employees including minorities, and that the company can implement management practices that result in positive work experiences for minority employees which enables them to become managers. The minority managers interviewed have the ability to "fit" into the IBM organization and they have gained acceptance. An invisible barrier or "glass ceiling" does not prevent minorities from advancing beyond lower or middle management positions. Today, there are already minorities at the executive level and the current focus is on moving minorities into the Corporate Officer positions that manage the business. The study creates new knowledge about the value and legitimacy of mentoring as a management development strategy and it produces knowledge directly relevant to managing a diverse work force. Suggestions are offered for future research.

This dissertation investigates the production and reception of a modern transnational pan-indigenous ideology and multi-plex identity, through the acquisition of Danza Azteca expressive cultural practices. My research is situated within the Quetzalcoatl-Citlalli Danza Azteca group, based in Sacramento, California. I argue that through the embodied act of dancing, danzantes are able to access, reconstruct, and express socio-historical memories, feelings, and their sense of space and place, effectively creating a Mexica identity and way of life based in a pan-indigenous ideology, a decolonized consciousness. I explore the expressive cultural practices and the processes that each danzante participates in to create this pan-indigenous ideology and identity. I explore the transformative power and habitus of Danza Azteca, an emergent social movement, and I investigate its ability to act as a vehicle for self-representation for individual danzantes as well as the larger Chicana/o and Native communities in which it is situated. Danza encompasses more than just the physical act of dancing. Danzantes are engaged in the movement, music, as well as the multiple visual representations of danza. A danzante may utilize one or more of danza's expressive cultural practices to produce and express the various manifestations of their multi-plex indigenous identities. Danza is seen not as a dance or a religion, it is viewed among the danzantes as a way of life: as prayer, tradition, heritage, history and dancing identity. I argue that through the expression and reception of danza at Danza Azteca dance events, the indigenous ideology acquired, and the expressive cultural practices shared by the danzantes, grant them the power to construct, produce and express a highly politicized pan-indigenous identity. The production of this pan-indigenous identity and ideology confronts past geo-political and ethnic boundaries and is grounded in the specific socio-political relationships the Quetzalcoatl-Citlalli group is embedded in and the corresponding ideology of the Maestro of the Danza group. I explore how the danzantes connect with socio-historical memories via movement, as well as in Danza art vis-`a-vis the images and symbols on their trajes and armas. I show how danzantes employ Nahua art and symbolism as representations of their gendered, social and cultural identity. I focus upon the body as the site where memories are stored, accessed, and expressed. The performance, experience, and reception of dance is a particularly powerful site for the embodiment, expression and reception of identity and memory. / Anthropology

The purpose of this study was to explore the internal and external factors influencing the career development of first generation Filipina Americans. Ten first generation Filipina Americans were interviewed using a guided in-depth interview format, genogram mapping, and demographic documentation. Five common themes emerged about the meaning of self in relation to the career development process: Self perception and the understanding of the immigration experience; Self awareness during acculturation; Self and the career path within the family system; Self within two cultures; and Self and socioeconomic factors. Results suggest that career development for Filipina Americans is multifaceted and involves many external and internal processes. Filipina Americans, individuals who often have both Asian and American influences in their vocational path, have uniquely experienced a marked distinction with their career development in the United States. Results indicate that the concept of self understanding was an integral component related to immigration, family, career planning, and class. Results also suggest that the women recognized minimal gender stereotyping in their families. Family of origin was a salient source of meaning and influence on the career development of the women. Self within two cultures, as an American and Filipina influenced the women both negatively and positively in their career development. And finally, class status was a factor which significantly influenced the women with regard to maintaining or improving their class status through their career choice. A review of the literature, limitations of the study, a comprehensive analysis and presentation of the results, a discussion of the results to the current literature and related practical and research implications are all presented. In summation, this study emphasizes the need for further research on the internal and external factors influencing the career development of Filipina Americans. Furthermore, the information shared may be useful in the professional realms of research, career counseling, psychology, child therapy, family therapy, and cultural training.

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to fund a transitional housing program for disenfranchised minority youth between the ages of 16-24 who are students at Youth Justice Coalition (YJC) in Inglewood, California. This program will provide underprivileged youth with an opportunity to have a basic life need met, while developing autonomous abilities that will serve as a core foundation to help youth who are identified as marginal at best to reach self-actualization, thus breaking the generational cycle of depravity and immobilization. The transitional housing program's foundational core is centered on the Ecological Perspective, which takes into account not only the individual, but also the environment from which the individual came as a basis to better understand how to best meet the needs of those from various walks of life. The submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the value of leadership development programs from the perspectives of leaders in a First Nation, located in Canada. The goal of the study was to explore the perceptions of tribal leaders on the cultural appropriateness and perceived benefits of leadership development programs. A purposeful sampling criterion was used to select seven participants for the study. Multiple sources were used for evidence collection: in-depth interviews, observations, Council meeting minutes, and an annual audit report. Analyzing the data involved comparison and cross-case analysis techniques to synthesize the findings and identify recurring themes. The findings and conclusions showed rich descriptions of 17 sub-themes divided into three themes: seven sub-themes address the value and meaning of leadership, four sub-themes deal with the adequacy of leadership development programs, and six sub-themes focus on the cultural appropriateness of leadership development programs. The importance of retaining and preserving the cultural values and beliefs in leadership roles among the leaders of this First Nation was evident. This study may contribute to the cultural-appropriateness of leadership development programs focusing on the cultural traditions and ways of life of First Nation people.</p>

<p>This study helps address gaps in knowledge concerning the lives of Indo-Fijian immigrant women in California and offers a space for their voices to be heard. The subsequent chapters investigate the lives of five Indo-Fijian immigrant women and their experiences upon migrating to Modesto, California. Using a qualitative research approach, data were collected through participant-observations, semi-structured in-depth interviews and informal conversations. The data are presented as anthropological silhouettes, a form of life-writing (the recording of events and experiences of a life), which explores each individual woman&rsquo;s experience with life in Fiji to her eventual migration and transition to life in California. The study reveals heterogeneity amongst the women&rsquo;s experiences and perspectives as well as commonalities that arise in their collective experiences as Indo-Fijian immigrant women residing in the city of Modesto. Overall, the anthropological silhouettes reveal that migration has led to shifts in the women&rsquo;s identities and their prescribed gender roles. Furthermore, despite some of the challenges that came with immigrating, the women have experienced social, political and economic mobility since arriving to California. All five women have accepted the United States as their adopted homeland, and as a result, have no plans of re-migrating to Fiji. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to observe the correlation between ethnic identity and gender as well as the relationship between ethnic identity and one&rsquo;s country of origin. The study participants (n=335) were recruited through the social media sites Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Reddit. Participants completed the 15-question Multigroup Ethnic Inventory Measure (MEIM) and a Demographic Questionnaire, all done completely online. It was hypothesized that participants&rsquo; level of ethnic identity as measured by MEIM scores would differ significantly between the genders. Furthermore, it was posited that participant&rsquo;s level of ethnic identity would differ significantly between countries of origin. Both hypotheses were supported. Implications of the study findings and recommendations for future research are discussed. </p>

<p>The primary goal of this study is to explore and learn about the life experience of undocumented college students in California. The researcher was interested in learning about identity, stressors, barriers, fears, mental health, strengths, motivation, college life and migrating experience. Furthermore, this study sought to learn about the impact and changes the California Dream Act (CA Dream Act), AB 540 and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) have produced for the current population of undocumented college students in California. The researcher conducted an online questionnaire and had a total of 17 participants. The findings revealed that respondents fear the loss of programs like DACA and continue facing an uncertain future in the United States. In addition, the researcher learned that undocumented children are aware of their undocumented legal status during their primary education years. The study also suggests that participants&rsquo; mental health has been impacted significantly by the barriers and fears associated with their legal status. Future research should focus on the long-term mental health effects that an undocumented legal status can have on an individual, thus examining the effects it places on the mental health and criminal justice system. Additionally, the researcher recommends that future studies examine how programs like DACA are changing undocumented immigrant identity, specifically, addressing how policy can impact an individual&rsquo;s identity. </p>