Skip to main content

Multidimensional Ecosystemic Comparative Approach (MECA)

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy

Introduction

As practitioners are called to provide care to a wider and more culturally diverse range of clients, there is also increasing recognition that the encounter between practitioners and clients is a cultural and sociopolitical encounter. MECA, the Multidimensional Ecological Comparative Approach is a systems oriented postmodern framework designed to provide a culturally attuned and socially empowering approach in family therapy theory, research, clinical practice, and training (Falicov 1995, 2014a, b, 2016a). MECA can be used to work with clients from many different cultures around the world. MECA was first developed in 1995 by Celia Jaes Falicov, who had pioneered introducing cultural perspectives in family therapy theory, practice, and training from an ecosystemic viewpoint (Falicov 1983, 1988).

MECA is based on the belief that we are all multicultural persons rather than belonging to a single group subsumed under a single label: Latino, lesbian, Lutheran, or Black. MECA...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Falicov, C. J. (Ed.). (1983). Cultural perspectives in family therapy. Rockville: Aspen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (1988). Learning to think culturally. In H. A. Liddle, D. C. Breunlin, & R. C. Schwartz (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy training and supervision (pp. 335–357). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (1995). Training to think culturally: A multidimensional comparative framework. Family Process, 34, 373–388.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (2009). Religion and spiritual traditions in immigiant families: significance for latino health and mental health. In Walsh, F. (ed.), Spiritual resources in family therapy (2nd edition). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (2012). Immigrant family processes: A multidimensional framework (MECA). In F. Walsh (Ed.), Normal family processes (4th ed., pp. 297–323). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (2014a). Latino families in therapy (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (2014b). Psychotherapy and supervision as cultural encounters: The MECA framework. In C. A. Falender, E. P. Shafranske, & C. J. Falicov (Eds.), Multiculturalism and diversity in clinical supervision: A competency-based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (2014c). Immigrant clients, supervisees, and supervision. In C. A. Falender, E. P. Shafranske, & C. J. Falicov (Eds.), Multiculturalism and diversity in clinical supervision: A competency-based approach. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (2016a). The diversity of families. In T. L. Sexton & J. Lebow (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy (pp. 66–86). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falicov, C. J. (2016b). Migration and the family life cycle. In M. Mc Goldrick, N. Garcia Preto, & B. Carter (Eds.), The expanding family life cycle: Individual, family and social perspectives (5th ed., pp. 222–239). New York: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, F. (2016). Strengthening family residence (3rd edition). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Celia Jaes Falicov .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Falicov, C.J. (2017). Multidimensional Ecosystemic Comparative Approach (MECA). In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_848-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_848-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics