Group Counseling and Psychotherapy Across the Cultural Divide

The Case of Ethiopian Jewish Immigrants in Israel

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2394575
AutoresGadi Benezer (College of Management Academic Studies, autor de correspondencia)
Año2006
Volumen43
Número2
Páginas205-234
Fecha de publicación2006-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaTranscultural Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1363-4615 • E-ISSN: 1461-7471
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1363461506064849
PMID16893872
OpenAlexW2090686824
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas12

Effective counseling across a cultural divide depends on adaptations or changes of technique to suit the particular intercultural circumstances. The concept of mutual creative space provides a guiding principle for therapists who wish to make such changes. This space is 'negotiated' between the therapist/counselor coming from the 'dominant/mainstream' group within society, and the group participants who arrive from another culture. Mutual creative space consists of the negotiation of power and a process of mutual invention, incorporating the creation, by therapist and participants, of something new that did not exist in either of their cultures of origin. A meaningful encounter and effective group counseling can take place following the negotiation of such a creative space. This is illustrated by the example of intercultural group work with Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in Israel, including an analysis of cultural characteristics of the Ethiopian group and specific ways of negotiating mutual creative space in this case. Issues discussed include: establishing trust in the cross cultural context; the use of body language and its interpretation; the psychologist as an authority figure; active participation vs. hidden learning; and working with dreams in such groups

Archaeology · Ethnic group · Immigration · Judaism · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Anthropology · Clinical Psychology · Counseling Practices and Supervision · History · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research