| 105 Room 524-A | Sexual Dysfunction Sunday, July 10, 2005 Time: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM |
Conducting Sex Therapy in a Cross-Cultural Environment : When the Paradigm of the Therapy and the Worldview of the Clients Mismatch.
Shtarkshall , Ronny*,1, 1 The Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Jerusalem, missing, Israel
ABSTRACT- This workshop utilizes the experience gained by an Israeli born, Jewish, non-observant therapist in working with ultra-orthodox Jews and immigrants from the former USSR to demonstrate some principles of cross-cultural therapy in the area of sexuality. In developing multi-cultural societies it is often that the sex and relationship therapist must work with individuals and couples who are from a different cultural background. Moreover, sometimes their cultural view of sex and relationship do not match the paradigm of the therapy. This workshop is aimed at sex and relationship therapists working in a multi-cultural environment, and who have some clients who are not from the main culture in their environment. Doing therapy with such clients must supplant the principles of sex therapy with some methods of cross-cultural therapy. The amalgamation of the two fields is both challenging and interesting. This workshop aims to demonstrate to the participants some of the methods utilized to bridge the gap between the paradigm of sex therapy and the world-view of the clients and between their background and that of the therapist. A presentation will be made of the facilitator′s work demonstrating the principles of the cross-cultural therapy. Case studies will be utilized to demonstrate the application of these principles in the facilitator′s practice. The workshop will contain an experiential component in which some participants will be asked to present cases and issues representing their experience with cross cultural therapy and its problems. We will conduct exercises in which the participants should be ready to play the role of their clients. Other participants will be asked to play the role of therapists under supervision for cross-cultural therapy. The workshop will end with a debriefing component in which the participants will be asked to reflect on the possible utilization of the methodology in their own clinical work. The participants will also be asked to evaluate the session.
Key words: Sex-Therapy, Cross-cultural, Methodology, Experiential