Cross-cultural research on Psychotherapy: The need for a change
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, ethnocultural
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.