Where the Rubber Hits the Road is quite comprehensive in its purview. Though outside the parameters for discussion, the article does stimulate consideration of other forms of cross-cultural dynamics and their ethical implications. Cross-cultural intersections between minority psychotherapists and nonminority clients are fewer, but they add an important dimension to the cross-cultural dialogue. Where are the ethical fault lines when a White client at a group practice asks not to work with a Latino, Asian, or Black psychotherapist? When the politics of gender are factored in, the equation becomes much more complex. Issues of power reversals and privilege may arise. Consider the dimensions of contact when a middle-aged White man presents for treatment with a mid-30s Black female psychologist. What aspects of the patient’s culture need to be addressed?
Gallardo eloquently points out that there are no standards or mandates that will resolve every ethical or multicultural dilemma. I have always held to the guiding principle once heard in a seminar: Be willing to expose but not to impose one’s values.