2.  Culture and Psychotherapy  Receiving treatment and barriers to treatment  Treatment issues  Culturally competence services  Indigenous healing

3.  Psychotherapy = a method of healing that focuses on mainly on the self  Traditional psychotherapy originates / stems from Sigmund Freud’s idea on psychoanalysis.  Freud used hypnosis as a method to let the clients or patients talk freely and emotionally about their problems.  Later, his method had been modified by Carl Rogers (in early 1990s), who developed a new approach known as “client-centred approach”.

4.  Cultural limitations of psychotherapy  Approaches in psychotherapy modified over times including the introduction to the cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT) (changing our mind can change our behavior).  This approach is very much related to cultural thought patterns.  Because of psychotherapy roots in Western ideas of self, distress, and healing (penyembuhan), the usefulness of psychotherapy with individuals who do not originate from this cultural group has been challenged.

5.  Significant disparities (perbezaan) between ethnic groups in seeking treatments and services are due to a few common factors identified, i.e.:  Language barriers  Stigma and mistrust  Beliefs on health and illness  Social Structures and policies

6.  Diverse background of patients bring challenges to treatment whereby communication must be effective between patients and clinicians/therapists/practioneers

7.  Therapists/Clinicians/Practioners must be sensitive to different communication patterns of different ethnic groups, e.g. eye contact, hierarcy of family roles (e.g. must talk with the father more than with the patient himself).

8.  Some cultures favour the therapists to be directive, make suggestions, and give assurance.  Therefore, approach that emphasize self- disclosure (client-centred approach) is not favourable or popular, which would br9ng the treatment session to end early.

9.  Extended family (keluarga luas – melibatkan ahli keluarga ramai cth datuk neenk ibu saudara sepupu tinggal bersama) is a primary source of support in times of distress.

10.  Treatment methods should be modified in order to be fit with the worldviews and experiences of diversified background patients.  E.g. traditional psychoanalytic approaches may not be suitable in a Malay culture

11.  Patients love to see therapists who are of similar culture, gender, and worldview to them.  However, success/effective counselling depends more on cognitive matching, cultural matching (in worldviews, cognitive styles, language), level of cultural sensitivities & responsiveness of therapist, and client characteristics & preferences.

12.  Indigenous healing = beliefs (kepercayaan) and practices (amalan) that are not imported from outside cultures but indigenously developed to treat the native population  (culturally-specific interventions).  Examples of indigenous healing: Reiki (balancing the physical, emotional, mental, & spiritual elements of our bodies) Qigong (breathing method, movement, and physical postures) Prana (“life force”)

13.  Malaysian indigenous healing Main puteri Mak yong Tai chi Ulik mayang The use of mantra Other healing techniques produced within a family system (e.g. if eat too much, get a spatula (sudip) and using the spatula act like ‘scooping’ out additional food out of the stomach! )