Addressing Spiritual and Cultural Issues Within Treatment for Psychosis

There is not just one way of making sense of reality; instead, each culture or even each subculture goes about it differently. Further, many or even most people affirm beliefs in various “spiritual” aspects of reality that transcend everyday experiences. But this leads to the question: how are we to distinguish healthy diversity in culture and spirituality, from that which is pathological or “psychotic?”

One approach to this question is to assert that if a way of making sense is common in a culture, then it is sane and acceptable, while if it is unique, then it is pathological. While t...Read morehis approach makes room for diversity that is well established in large social groups, it continues to risk pathologizing possibly healthy innovations made by individuals.

This seminar will explore how CBT for psychosis can be practiced in a flexible way to adopt to cultural and spiritual differences, allowing for collaborative and respectful explorations of both the possible value as well as dangers of various ways of approaching reality. Based on such explorations, people can discover their own paths to a healthy integration and a path forward in their lives. Less...

Learning Objectives

• Demonstrate the ability to adapt CBT for psychosis approaches to meet the needs of individuals from varying cultural groups.
• Explain the role of cultural humility, and an awareness of the uncertainty of one’s own knowledge, in respectful and effective therapy for psychosis.
• Utilize cultural competence in addressing spiritual issues within a recovery oriented approach to psychosis while working with individuals from a variety of traditions and subcultures.

Friday, September 23, 2022

08:30 AM PDT - 12:30 PM PDT