Western Therapy & Eastern Minds
In the Netflix series Beef, one of the main characters Danny asserts that “Western therapy doesn’t work on Eastern minds”. Although it serves mostly as a flippant comment, how much truth lies in this statement?
Whether ‘Western’ therapy adequately serves non-Western individuals is a major topic within the mental health field. It has spawned a variety of terms that aspire to equitably help minority clients, including: culturally responsive, culturally sensitive, and culturally competent care.
Like most questions, the answer is not a simple one. On the one hand, research has shown that Western models of therapy can meaningfully improve mental health outcomes of minority clients. On the other hand, there is considerable research that shows that mental health care is more effective when it acknowledges and adapts based on clients’ cultural background.
A big part of whether therapy is helpful is contingent on whether therapists are able to understand a client’s experience & convey that understanding to the client. Therefore, it reasons to follow that if therapists are unable to wholly understand aspects of one’s cultural experience, this may constitute an impediment to effective therapy.
Although any group of people is not homogenous, the Asian diaspora generally have unique leanings in their life experience. These include:
Academic and professional pressure
Identity challenges
Racism & discrimination experiences
Hierarchical relationships with parental and authority figures
Collectivist orientation that emphasise the wellbeing of the group
Lower emotional expression
Working with a therapist who understands the nuances of such experiences may be fruitful for Asian diaspora clients. Daniel is an counsellor & psychotherapist of Asian background who strives to provide culturally competent care, serving clients in-person in Sydney and Australia-wide online. If you would like to explore working with him, click here.
