Abstract

Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, Vol. 6, No. 2, 1997 Clinical and Psychoeducational Assessment in a Diverse Society: Introduction to the Special Issue 2 2 Rafael Art. Javier,1,3 William G. Herron, and Andrea Bergman The percentage of individuals for whom English is not the primary language, or is just one of several languages spoken, and whose cultural backgrounds differ, sometimes in substantial ways, from the dominant cul­ ture is growing larger in the United States (Census, 1990) and the world. This phenomenon has been precipitated by the fluid sociopolitical and so­ cioeconomic forces around the world, particularly in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and most recently, the Soviet Union, which have resulted in an increase in immigration patterns. Although the United States and Europe have been confronted with immigration issues over the course of their histories, there has not been a concerted effort to address the multiplicity of concerns associated with this process, including the chal­ lenges associated with an influx of multiple cultures and languages. The formula historically used to deal with the disruption caused by the immi­ gration of individuals with different cultural, linguistic, and sociopolitical histories is to require full assimilation into