COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL GROUP-THERAPY FOR DEPRESSED, LOW-INCOME MINORITYCLIENTS - RETENTION AND TREATMENT ENHANCEMENT

Despite the ever-increasing clinical needs of ''underserved population s,'' research, practice guidelines, and clinical training programs hav e focused primarily on treating middle- and upper-middle-class nonmino rity clients. This paper highlights the mental health needs of low-inc ome minority patients, pointing out specific risks, obstacles to servi ce utilization, reasons for treatment failures, and significant opport unities for clinical interventions and innovations. Countertherapeutic patient and therapist beliefs and attributions are discussed. A pilot cognitive-behavioral depression group specifically designed for low-i ncome minority patients is used to demonstrate practical interventions and guidelines for working with this population. Preliminary results suggest that premature attrition and clinical outcomes can be signific antly improved. Group structure, content, and special attention to gro up processes were thought to be responsible for positive findings.