Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Article Analysis

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In the article “Multicultural applications of cognitive-behavioral therapy” published in the journal of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice by the American Psychological Association (APA), the author Pamela A. Hays discusses and critiques Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) through a multicultural lens. Hays begins her article by explaining that mainstream psychological research, or research focused on developing treatment for the mentally ill, still treats race, ethnicity, and culture, as separate variables instead of studying the possible impacts these variables have on the effectiveness of treatment for minorities. She discusses the some of the history of CBT, mentioning the effectiveness of CBT for any populations of color have …show more content…
Hussain and Ray Cochrane wrote “Living with depression: Coping strategies used by South Asian women, living in the UK, suffering from depression,” which was published in the journal of Mental Health, Religion, & Culture. In this article, the authors describe a qualitative study they completed consisting of interviews about coping strategies with 10 South Asian women diagnosed with clinical depression. The authors state the purpose of this study was to gain more information about what general coping strategies these women use, what culturally specific coping strategies they use, and learn about the comparisons and differences between the two. With this information, the authors then discussed the clinical implications for mental health services. Through the interviews, the researchers found that coping through religion or praying was the most common strategy. The next three most popular strategies used were herbal remedies, crying, and self-harm. The strategies least used by these women, and those often encouraged to use within various forms of therapy include talking, perception of the problem, motivation to cope, and access to help. Given these results, Hussain and Cochrane concluded that South Asian women were significantly more likely to participate in harmful coping strategies rather than receive professional help. The results also supported that South Asian women cope using similar methods that the general population uses when dealing with untreated depression …show more content…
For this article, the researchers conducted a study using Pakistani Muslims currently living in the United Kingdom. The study consisted of mentally ill Pakistani people receiving Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). First, the researchers measured how effective traditional CBT was with this population. Then, using information from previously adapted CBT therapies for Chinese and Latino/a patients, the researchers developed their own culturally sensitive CBT therapy for Pakistani Muslims. One way the researchers modified CBT therapy for this specific population was to provide the clients with culturally aware therapists. For example, the study attempted to break down language and cultural barriers by using Pakistani therapists. Furthermore, if the therapist was not South Asian they were still required to learn about Pakistani history, morals, and culture from their colleges. Another aspect of retooling CBT to be effective for this population involved the assessment of the patient’s cultural identity and family ties to create the best plan of action for each client. After conducting both the traditional CBT with half the clients and the culturally sensitive CBT with the other half clients, the researchers found that those participating in the culturally

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