CBT and Ethnicity: Is the gold standard really good enough?
Exemplified by the recent COVID-19 pandemic and tragic death of George Floyd, Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic populations (BAME) have, and continue to suffer under historical and systemic racism in regard to their mental health. Although there are copious amounts of literature regarding how to confront and change this, little intervention has actually been applied which really, is not good enough.
Lawton, McRea and Gordan (2021), review the ongoing hardships that BAME populations are facing, specifically in regard to accessing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is considered a gold standard therapy used in treating the most prevalent of mental disorders. With this said, BAME populations are not only experiencing mental health adversities at a higher rate than white people but are less likely to seek out and access treatment due to a multitude of reasons; these include stigma, language barriers and racism.
At a systemic level, in order to achieve change, the focus needs to be around developing culturally adapted interventions. Examples of these include promoting diversity in recruitment processes to ensure a representative workforce, as well is funding, monitoring, and providing equitable access for BAME communities from state and national bodies.
So how can we change this? As humans, and healthcare professionals we must confront and challenge our own biases and privilege. Being educated and aware of microaggressions is essential for shifting the currently flawed paradigm. Lawton, McRea and Gordan (2021), suggest in order to implement change, therapists need to review their own cultural biases and calls for a restructuring of how therapists are trained in CBT, with an emphasis on cultural competence. By including mandatory cultural safety training in clinical courses regarding CBT, it would not only help strengthen the therapeutic alliance but build rapport, which is an essential part of therapy, and therefore, improving outcomes for BAME individuals.
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24th March, 2023 - Written by Eliana Janakis, Psychology Student Intern