An Analysis of Gestalt Group Psychotherapy in the Context of Multiculturalism

Abstract

With increasing demand for multicultural counseling and psychotherapy, the need for multicultural group psychotherapy is also increasing. As group therapists are becoming concerned with the applicability of Western group interventions for use with multicultural psychotherapy groups, the responsibility to adapt evidence-based practice to multicultural clients resides with clinicians. Gestalt group psychotherapy was examined as an example of a Western-influenced approach that currently does not address how to practice group therapy in a multicultural setting. After a thorough review of the multicultural group psychotherapy and Gestalt group psychotherapy literature, Gestalt group psychotherapy was found to incorporate many of the principles and theories suggested for use with multicultural psychotherapy groups.