“Culture is not a Disease. There is No Need to Cure Clients from Their Culture”

Abstract

Interview with Olga Sergeevna Pavlova, a practicing psychologist, head of the Department of Ethnopsychology and Psychological Problems of Multicultural Education at Moscow State University of Psychology and Education (MSUPE), about the peculiarities of psychological counseling with clients from different national regions, with different religious views. In the interview, we are talking about the specifics of client requests, the specifics of the approach to choosing counseling methods, the position of a psychologist who must take into account the cultural and religious affiliation of the client. It also describes the difficulties that a psychologist may face in working with religious clients, and ways to overcome them.