A ‘Cultural Models’ Approach to Psychotherapy for Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Case Study from the UK

Mohaddeseh Ziyachi () and Brian Castellani
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Mohaddeseh Ziyachi: Department of Sociology, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
Brian Castellani: Department of Sociology, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: Despite the existence of significant research on the mental health care challenges of migrants, particularly refugees and asylum seekers, less attention has been paid to treatment approaches. We used a case study from the UK to look at the topic from a cultural models approach (which comes from cognitive anthropology) to analyse migrants’ experiences with mental health care. Twenty-five refugees and asylum seekers living in North East England and Northern Ireland were interviewed who had used at least six sessions of talking therapy during the last three years. Our results suggested that adopting a ‘cultural models’ approach, which offers a new conceptual and methodological framework of migrants’ experiences and their underlying schemas and expectations, would significantly contribute to building therapeutic alliances and provide relevant and appropriate treatments for migrant clients, particularly for unrecognised pre- and post-migration traumatic experiences.

Keywords: cognitive anthropology; ‘cultural models’ approach; migrants; refugees; asylum seekers; mental health; mental health treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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