Psychodynamic psychotherapy as applied in an arab village clinic

The Arab-Palestinian sector in Israel is undergoing significant transition in all social and cultural domains, including mental health. Throughout the past decade, mental health professionals have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of Arab individuals and families seeking psychotherapeutic treatment. The vast majority of the professional literature that deals with the use of Western psychotherapy with non-Western patients urges the therapist to accommodate the patientʹs cultural sensitivities, even to the point of modifying therapeutic theory and technique in order to meet the patientʹs needs. This article, supported by a decade of psychotherapeutic experience with Arab patients, argues against this approach. A case study illustrates the effective application of psychodynamic psychotherapy to an Arab-Palestinian patient, where the standard concepts and techniques of psychotherapy were retained.