City Research Online

Abstract

The underutilisation of mental health services within the Turkish population is a well-documented issue, with low access rates often attributed to barriers in accepting psychological help. It has been argued that Western approaches to treating mental illness, grounded in Western beliefs and philosophies, may be culturally incongruent for individuals from Eastern cultures. This cultural mismatch can create significant discrepancies between the needs and expectations of immigrant patients and the therapeutic approaches employed by clinicians, thereby hindering communication, reducing the effectiveness of treatment, and contributing to high dropout rates. To ensure the continued provision of culturally sensitive, high-quality, evidence-based mental health care, it is essential to advance research exploring the sociocultural differences between patients' and clinicians' notions of mental health. Despite this need, there is a notable lack of research into the psychological therapy experiences of ethnic minorities in the UK. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study that explored the psychological therapy experiences of Turkish clients residing in the UK. The study employed a qualitative approach to understand how these clients make sense of their therapy experiences. Six participants were recruited, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather in-depth narratives. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), leading to the identification of four key emergent Group Experiential Themes (GETs): The journey to psychology, Challenges in working with emotions, Language barriers, and the therapeutic relationship. Each theme was further divided into subthemes that detailed the participants’ experiences. The findings from this study indicated various difficulties and barriers experienced by participants during their psychological therapy experiences. How they made sense of their experiences is explored. The findings of this study have important implications for the provision of culturally sensitive therapies. By deepening our understanding of cultural differences, mental health services can be better tailored to meet the needs of individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, ultimately improving the accessibility and effectiveness of psychological interventions.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Psychology School of Health & Psychological Sciences > School of Health & Psychological Sciences Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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