Cultural Values Matter: The Therapeutic Alliance with East Asian Americans

Abstract

East Asian Americans, and Asian Americans broadly, engage in psychotherapy less than their White and minority peers. Given the mental health needs of this growing population, this comprehensive review examines the development of the therapeutic alliance with East Asian American families through the lens of cultural values that may be salient to East Asian American clients' mental health and therapeutic needs. The article explains that unique East Asian values may contribute to the development of the therapeutic alliance with East Asian American families. Given the state of the research, this article strove to elucidate what the field of Marriage and Family Therapy knows and how family therapy may be an approach that aligns with East Asian American cultural values. Finally, the article outlines a case example that explains how cultural values impacted an East Asian American family and how a culturally-aware family therapy approach may help develop a therapeutic alliance with the family.