Cultural Adaptations and Multicultural Competence

Mental health treatments can be more effective when they align with the culture of the client and when therapists demonstrate multicultural competence. This chapter defines cultural adaptations and therapist multicultural competencies and provides clinical examples of each. It summarizes relevant research findings in two meta-analyses. In the meta-analysis on the effectiveness of culturally adapted interventions, the average effect size across 99 studies was d = .50. In the second meta-analysis on 15 studies of therapist cultural competence, the results differed by rating source: Client-rated measures of therapist cultural competence correlated strongly with treatment outcomes (r = .38) but therapists’ self-rated competency did not (r = .06). The chapter lists limitations of the research and patient contributions, concluding with research-supported therapeutic practices that help clients benefit from cultural adaptations and from therapists they perceive as culturally competent.