We met over 20 years ago when Ayşe moved to the U.S. as a doctoral student. Our initial meeting was to discuss poster presentations at the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2003 convention in Toronto. Over the years, we have collaborated and supported each other, as well as other international students and colleagues, in various ways. We have shared overlapping experiences and perspectives on multicultural issues in Türkiye. Both of us have had a strong desire and passion to lead and facilitate more critical discussions and training in our home country. It is this passion, along with the cumulative conversations we've had over the years, that led to the creation of this book. As we mentioned in the Introduction and Conclusion sections, this is not a perfect final destination for us. Rather, it marks the beginning of a journey that we are very excited to embark on.
This book offers an opportunity for individuals to learn how to become more multiculturally responsive counselors or therapists. Societies around the world are becoming increasingly connected and diverse. While some issues related to multiculturalism vary across cultures, there is a pressing need to understand the common threads related to how power, justice, and equity are conceptualized and operationalized in different contexts, particularly when working with minoritized communities. Initially, our discussions about this book were aimed at an audience in Türkiye, or any counselor or therapist working with Turkish communities. However, as we continued to develop this project, we decided that, in addition to providing foundational knowledge and theories, we needed to present discussions from different parts of the world in order to broaden our audience. Acknowledging the ethnocentrism present in U.S. literature, we remain intentional in our approach: our goal is not to call for a replication of the U.S. understanding of multiculturalism in other parts of the world. Instead, we aim to raise awareness and encourage discussions among mental health practitioners and trainees on topics related to multicultural practice. We also hope that by presenting the issues and practices of working with diverse communities from different parts of the world, we can help make an impact in the U.S. to make its practices more globally inclusive.
As is the case with any important journey, this project could not have been completed alone. We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us on this journey and shared our passion and excitement. First and foremost, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Lara Andes and Kaitlyn Arrow, who served as editorial assistants for this book, and to Marissa Harrison for the consultation and support she provided. We are also grateful to the authors who contributed to this book and who, throughout their careers, have advanced the field by offering new insights into multicultural issues. Finally, we are thankful for each other.