| Abstract: | This article discusses a group counseling model specifically targeted for Mexican American adolescents with behavior problems including substance abuse. An integrated model is proposed, with the model assumptions clearly articulated and specific therapeutic goals addressed in a culturally responsive manner. Foci of the model are ethnic identity, affective expression, and life choices. Preliminary findings indicate that the youths are retained in the groups at a higher rate than predicted. To live in the Borderlands means you are neither hispana India negra espanola ni gabacha, eres mestiza, mulata, half-breed caught in the crossfire between camps while carrying all five races on your back not knowing which side to turn to, run from; To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras be a crossroads. —Gloria Anzaldua (1987) |
