In Culturally Responsive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Over Time, Dr. Pamela A. Hays demonstrates an approach to therapy that focuses on helping alleviate a client's presenting issues in a manner best suited to the client's cultural identity, context, and preferences. This approach seeks ways to explain and adapt techniques so that they make sense from the client's perspective. Such adaptation validates the client's experiences, which in turn can encourage the client to consider the need for change, resulting in overall greater therapeutic effectiveness. In this program, Dr. Hays demonstrates her approach over the course of six sessions with a middle-aged Polish-American woman experiencing anxiety and depression. Using culturally adaptive language, Dr. Hays works with the client to change unhelpful thoughts to more empowering ones, and helps her to recognize her faith as a potent resource during this process of change.
