Culture and Psychotherapy: A Guide to Clinical Practice

From our regular book review column.

Concepts and techniques of psychotherapy have demonstrated remarkable evolution during the past 60 years. No longer does the ideal therapist act as a noncommunicative blank wall that serves to reflect transference; instead, he or she uses interpersonal qualities of the therapeutic relationship to beneficially change the patient’s thinking, feelings, and behavior. These changes have not only affected psychotherapy interventions for traditional Western culture-based therapists and patients but are even more important in addressing the needs of persons from non-Western cultures.