What are the cultural barriers to working with theoretical approaches of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?
Many cultures (e.g. Chinese) do not fully believe in mental illness or therapy or place greater emphasis on keeping emotions hidden. Treating someone in this culture could be especially difficult because a therapist must deal with a greater possibility that the client will not be motivated to learn or engage in CBT. Also, cultural differences must be acknowledge and understood by a therapist before any treatment technique takes place. Certain cultural norms could be violated if a therapist does not fully understand how they affect a client. CBT, especially, is focused on unwanted behaviors, but certain cultures believe some behaviors are normal and wanted, when they are considered by other cultures to be abnormal and unwanted.
