An intercultural psychodynamic counselling model: A preventive work proposition for plural societies

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to present an Intercultural Psychodynamic Model developed by this researcher as the Intercultural Counselling Service in the Psychology Institute at São Paulo University, Brazil. The service was part of the research project ‘Psychosocial intervention in the cultural insertion process’. In order to develop and consolidate the intercultural approach in psychology, the project was based on the tripod teaching, research and intervention each with its own specific objectives. The intercultural approach promotes a broad, dynamic and flexible view of the psychosocial phenomena [Lambert, W. (1980). Introduction to perspectives. In Handbook of cross-cultural psychology. Perspectives, Vol. 1. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.], and considers the human development and human manifestations a result of a dialectical relation between individual and his/her cultural and socio-political contexts [Berry, J., Poortinga, Y., Segall, M., & Dasen, P. (1992). Cross-cultural psychology: Research and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press]. The service offers individual, couple, family and group short-term psychotherapy and counselling to immigrants, Brazilian immigrant descents, returned migrants and intercultural preparation workshops to Brazilian who are going to live abroad. Categories such as cultural and ethnic identity, gender roles, intergenerational relationships, transnational social networks, psychological acculturation, acculturation stress and prejudice emerge from the analysis of the session's material, indicating the profound psychological implications of cultural contact. The psychosocial intervention has a primary and secondary preventive attribute. Issues on how countries deal with their own ethnic/racial plurality emerge indicting the need of an intercultural perspective and promotion of culturally effective psychotherapist/professionals in order to guarantee that all peoples be heard and understood as an effective measure of their human rights.