Considerations for Culturally Responsive Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Māori With Depression

Abstract

A strong case can be made for adapting cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for ethnic and cultural minority groups. In North America, literature is readily available for CBT practitioners wishing to adapt their practice when working with ethnic minority groups (e.g., Latino, African-American, and Native American groups). In other countries such as New Zealand, literature of this sort is scarce, and the empirical foundation for CBT adaptation in these parts of the world is weak. This article documents the core tenets of an empirically validated CBT treatment protocol tailored for individual delivery to Māori clients suffering from depression in New Zealand and developed through consultation with an expert advisory group consisting of senior clinicians and Māori cultural experts. The result is a series of considerations for clinicians endeavouring to provide culturally responsive CBT with Māori clients, who are identified and organised into four domains. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the practical application of the proposed techniques. Links are made to international literature related to the adaptation of CBT in pursuit of cultural responsiveness.

He kākano ahau – identity, Indigeneity and wellbeing for young Māori (Indigenous) men in Aotearoa/New Zealand

“…However, even though the importance of “competence” is invoked, the discussions rarely interrogate the assumptions of the dominant Western culture. Instead, the solutions to addressing cultural competence have often relied on inserting “culture” into Western models (see Bennett et al., 2014, 2016, as an example). For example, even when Māori knowledge is introduced into policy or within guidelines for practice (see Levy, 2018), these engagements with Māori knowledge can become tokenised as “cultural” knowledge, and supplementary to the Eurocentric foundation of clinical work.…”

Effects of Natural Mentoring Relationships on College Students’ Mental Health: The Role of Emotion Regulation

“…Moreover, given evidence that certain emotion regulation strategies may be more normative and/or adaptive within certain cultural contexts (Butler et al, 2007; Ford & Mauss, 2015; Hampton, et al, 2019; Matsumoto et al, 2008), it is essential to continue exploring interactions between students’ social identities and psychosocial functioning. Such research can play a key role in informing culturally responsive mentoring and mental health care (Bennett et al, 2016; Skilbeck et al, 2020). Finally, the data in the present study were collected at a single college, limiting generalizability to other types of institutions (e.g., large research universities, community colleges) that may possess differing levels of access to natural mentors (Wood & Newman, 2017).…”

Social work practice implications of upcoming mental health reforms

“…The quality of the therapeutic relationship is particularly important for Māori whānau (McClintock et al, 2011;Pomare, 2015) and for those who have had negative experiences with multiple services (Munford & Sanders, 2015). The therapist and service may need to take a considerably different and more culturally appropriate approach in order to build a positive therapeutic relationship with Māori whānau (Bennett et al, 2016).…”