There is sufficient evidence to suggest that CBT is an effective treatment for mental health problems. Current evidence suggests that ethnic minorty clients are less likely to engage in psychological interventions. We have adapted CBT for ethnic minorities in the UK. The aim of this workshop is to help the participants to realize the barriers posed by ethnic minority clients in therapy and how to overcome these.

Our work has highlighted that culture, capacity of the system and cognitions and beliefs are the areas which need addressing in this regard. We found that although therapists do not need to make major changes in therapy techniques they need to be aware of issues related to culture and patients beliefs about therapy. This workshop will especially focus on difficult areas such as assessment of ethnic minority clients and their engagement with therapy.