The Components of Cultural Match in Psychotherapy
Available evidence suggests that when clients from ethnic minority seeking mental health treatment are paired with therapists from the similar ethnic background, the rates of drop out is lower, and there is an increased utilization of treatment. Based on previous studies about culture, I believe this is true to a large extend. For example, Hofstede (2001) pointed out that there are six cultural dimensions in the world including uncertainty avoidance, indulgence, individualism vs. collectivism, long-term orientation, masculinity vs. feminism, and power distance. These cultural dimensions might affect the relationship between the client and the therapist, and also treatment outcome. ...