Cross-Cultural Research on Psychotherapy: The Need for a Change

Abstract

Psychotherapy models, some of which now have a history over a century, have been practiced worldwide. However, considering that the most prevalently applied psychotherapy models are the products of Western culture, questioning the extent of these models’ effectiveness and efficiency for people belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds is legitimate. No doubt, ethno-cultural groups living in Western multicultural societies will interact with Western culture more deeply compared with people living in non-Western countries; therefore, to also think that their needs will differ is reasonable. In this case, the quantity and quality of the required adaptations may also change. Although a promising number of studies exist on intercultural adaptations necessitated by the needs of multicultural societies, the literature on the effectiveness of these models in the non-Western world and the local psychotherapy models is quite limited. One important question is whether psychotherapy models can be adapted to address non-Western cultures without transforming their fundamental assumptions, and if so, can this be conducted efficiently? With these questions in mind, the aim is to review the current state of scientific studies on psychotherapy practices in various cultures. In addition, considering the large spectrum of cultural migration taking place in modern days and the difficulty of receiving mental health services in underdeveloped countries, the importance of adapted and local psychotherapy research has been emphasized and some suggestions for consideration in future research have been made.