Introduction to the Special Section on Cultural Considerations in Collaborative and Therapeutic Assessment

Issues of culture abound in the conduct of psychological assessment. This special section brings together a collection of articles from expert practitioners in the Therapeutic Assessment (TA) model to discuss cultural considerations. The special section is comprised of a conceptual discussion of the cultural influence of the assessment situation itself, 3 case examples illustrating the way in which culture enters into assessment, and the ways that the TA paradigm can be useful in mitigating the potential negative effects; and a comment on the 4 articles. In this introduction to the special section, I discuss 2 interrelated concepts that are helpful in framing the articles that will follow: the need to practice assessment with multicultural competence, and the potential benefits of using an assessment model (e.g., TA) that is itself culturally responsive. As the world continues to become more culturally diverse through changing demographics and the recognition and evolution of different subcultures, the need to practice assessment using these concepts will only become more central.