Therapeutic Beliefs of Asian American Therapists: Views from an Ethnic-Specific Clinic

Abstract

Ethnic-specific mental health services have been found to improve ethnic minority use and retention. However, few studies have gone beyond outcome-based studies and examined what elements of the services distinguish them as ethnic-specific. This article is about what Asian American therapists at one ethnic-specific clinic reported about their practices with their clients and what they believed their clients thought about mental illness and treatment. Three major areas of concern emerged: mental illness beliefs, treatment beliefs, and therapeutic relationships. Findings indicated that ethnic-specific services require more than the bilingual/ bicultural matching of therapist and client, but entail constant negotiations between therapist and client and also the types of services provided. In addition, therapists reported a culturally congruent match between themselves and their ethnic-specific clinic, indicating a broader aspect of the cultural match thesis.