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Exploring the cultural flexibility of the ACT model as an effective therapeutic group intervention for Turkish speaking communities in East London

Part of: Being an Anti-Racist CBT therapist

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2019

Aradhana Perry ,
Chelsea Gardener ,
Joseph E. Oliver ,
Çiğdem Taş  and
Cansu Özenç
Aradhana Perry
Affiliation:
City and Hackney BME Access Service, East London NHS Foundation Trust, City and Hackney Directorate, Department of Psychology
Chelsea Gardener
Affiliation:
STEP Team, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Joseph E. Oliver
Affiliation:
University College London
Çiğdem Taş
Affiliation:
Mental Health Co-Ordinator, Derman
Cansu Özenç
Affiliation:
John Howard Centre, East London NHS Foundation Trust
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Abstract

This study describes a successful community-based partnership project between statutory and third-sector services in East London; The City and Hackney Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Access Service [East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT)] collaborated with Derman, a local community organization supporting the well-being of Turkish-speaking communities, to explore the cultural adaptability of an empirically supported, third-wave cognitive behavioural intervention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The aim was to develop a culturally acceptable group that was responsive to the therapeutic needs of participants from Turkish-speaking communities. The study implemented a mixed-method analysis with a one group pre/post-test design to examine the effectiveness of a 7-session culturally adapted ACT group intervention and a descriptive approach was implemented to assess usefulness, relevance and acceptability. Results demonstrated an overall positive effect of the culturally adapted ACT intervention in terms of both symptoms and patient-reported outcomes. Participants showed significant improvements on measures of depression (p = 0.014), anxiety (p = 0.041) and psychological distress (p = 0.003). The magnitude of these changes was categorized as large, with effect sizes from 0.90 to 2.03. Qualitative responses indicated that the group was experienced as enjoyable and useful and was considered to be an accessible and acceptable therapeutic format. Although a pilot within clinical practice, the findings provide preliminary support for the clinical utility of ACT as an effective, culturally acceptable therapeutic approach for Turkish-speaking communities living in an urban UK setting. The study highlights the importance of culturally appropriate service development and a need for further research within this area.

Keywords

ACTAcceptance and Commitment Therapycultural flexibilitycultural adaptationBMETurkish speaking communities

Information

Type
Special Issue: Cultural Adaptations of CBT
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 12 , 2019 , e2
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2019 

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References

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