A REFLECTION OF WESTERN PSYCHOTHERAPY IN THE EASTERN CULTURES

Asian clients show one of the highest dropout rates after their first psychotherapy sessions. It is widely known that Asian clients have to exhaust all their resources and jump through many hoops to get to the therapists. If so, why would Asian clients befall to such high rates of premature termination after they had to go through numerous cultural barriers? Is it possible that the first sessions they went to was discouraging in any way? Is it possible that the first psychotherapists they encountered failed to foster sense of hope due to the cultural differences? This book aims to address the gap between Eastern and Western cultures, specifically in terms of perspectives on psychology and the process of psychotherapy. Understanding what Asian clients expect from psychotherapy and why they expect such things will lead psychotherapists to face challenges that directly hinder the formation of the bond and rapport inevitably necessary for the success of treatment.