Supporting those without a voice

Angela Shengxi Miao, editor of the Psychotherapy Section's newsletter, provides a synopsis of the 68th Psychotherapy Section Review, which includes some articles focusing on developing greater therapeutic input for marginalised groups.

Isabel Clarke reports on the 6th international conference, 'Clinical approaches to exceptional experiences', hosted by the Psychotherapy Section in London on 13 and 14 May last year, which explored the overlap between therapy and parapsychology. The event threw the spotlight on a group of people 'invisible' even within the circle of mental health professionals – those who experience 'non-ordinary realities'.

The experiences have special spiritual meanings for clients, yet are often regarded as tangential, and professional bodies, at least in the UK (where the field of parapsychology has not been as readily recognised as in Europe) haven't had a satisfactory response to bridge the gap between the internal and external reality of both the individual and collective (un)conscious. 

Bringing a cultural component to the therapeutic model

Another group facing challenges to accessing mental health services is ethnic minority groups. Their experiences regarding services and the opportunities for them to receive high-quality professional training and engagement within the professional circle are often limited, and their voices 'silenced' by the mainstream WEIRD population. This is particularly the case for Asian people following the conspiracy regarding the origin of the Covid outbreak.

The 2022 Psychotherapy Section annual conference was dedicated to addressing these topics while inviting in minority ethnic groups, and Professor Ho Law's article is developed from the conference workshop; it advocates for adding a cultural perspective to the most recognised bio-psycho-social model of mental health which had been the dominating foundational theoretical understanding of mental health.

Case study of working with an Afghan refugee

Ramzia Akbari Noor and Stephen Abdullah Maynard present a case of working with an Afghan refugee in the context of the 2021 evacuation of people from the country. They empathetically reveal that the challenges faced by refugees are multi-faceted: Spiritual traumas from the war-torn country combined with changes in living circumstances and adjustment issues can hinder the delivery of psychological help.

Hence, therapeutic processes specifically differ in each collective traumatic event given the context and history, so there are always new insights to be learned through each different situation. 

Cricket and elite cricketers

Dr Paul Alexander provides a comprehensive picture of the psychology behind cricket. The self-identity of the elite cricketers within the self, as a group member, and in a one-on-one relationship with the opponent, varies in different career stages. Cricket is 'A game of life', the author writes, and professional cricketers have many demands placed on them, which can result in a lot of psychological ups and downs, much like riding a roller-coaster.

Poem

The issue ends with a poem that I wrote in memory of participating in a series of online bullying incidences and witnessing illegal counselling services on social media platforms across cultures during the pandemic. It was sad to see the increasing demand for internet psychological interventions also contributed to a proportional levelling-up of disqualified and unregulated activities that have a great potential to re-traumatise the vulnerable population despairingly seeking professional help. On the other hand, many online bullies may not be willing to admit they need any psychological intervention. 

My message to you

All the above contents and more can be found in our latest Psychotherapy Section Review 68. There are so many things that we can do to bring more healing and warmth to the 'invisible' people and un-heard voices, from our professional circle extending to the bigger community.

Friends and colleagues, I invite you to listen more deeply the next time when you happen to come cross them, more awareness turns 'ignorance' into wisdom when we look at the relationship between the 'majority' and 'minority'.