Here’s Why It’s Important to Find a Therapist Who Takes Culture Into Account
I’ve seen that many therapists don't know that cultural heritage and identity are important parts of mental health. This lack of awareness often leads to poor care, a high ethnic minority dropout rate, and ineffective therapies. To fix this issue, therapists must become much more culturally conscious than they currently are.
One can conduct research in many ways, such as talking to people, observing social habits, reading scholarly texts, or writing. Two research methods beneficial for clients are the ethnographic and demographic approaches. The first parts of these paths can take a lot of time, but the last parts can be very rewarding.
An ethnography describes a particular culture, while a demographic study is focused on collecting and analysing data to create information regarding a specific population. Both are important for becoming more culturally conscious about other people’s beliefs, values, customs, and behaviours that may differ from yours.
There are many reasons why therapists should be aware of their clients' cultures before continuing their work with them. One reason is that knowledge prevents therapists from being unaware of and ignorant of specific cultures, beliefs, values, and practices (e.g., marriage traditions and gender roles).
Another reason is that therapists should understand their clients’ culture to prevent biased
assumptions about a client's beliefs and behaviour. For example, a therapist who does not know about
Islam might assume that a Muslim woman is beaten by her husband whenever she leaves the
house.
A third reason therapists should be aware of cultural influences on a clients mental health is so
Interventions can be adjusted accordingly. If you don't know about other cultures, you might act in a way that isn't right, like when therapists step in when there are cultural differences. An example is the consistent misdiagnosis of schizophrenia in Native Americans and Black British men.
Lastly, therapists should be aware that cultural consciousness helps combat racism and discrimination. Stereotypes may stem from a lack of knowledge about other races, ethnicities, and cultures. To break down these stereotypes and negative conceptions of cultures that differ from
the Western worldview, therapists must be able to recognise the existence of cultural differences and have an understanding of their significance.
Overall, cultural consciousness’ influence on mental health is essential in several ways. The first benefit is that therapists can help clients determine why they are upset. The second benefit is that the client and therapist can bond deeper and create trust when their methods are culturally conscious. A client is less likely to open up if they feel misunderstood.
Culturally conscious therapists do not assume that clients are affected the same way they are or make a judgment on their culture. But it's clear that both the client and the therapist benefit when clients are taught about other cultures and treated with empathy. For more information,
