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In recent years as the problems of providing adequate mental health resources for the black and ethnic minorities in this country have become more evident interested individuals and groups have emerged who have focused attention on this area. It is also noticeable that within this field psychotherapy services, where available within the NHS, have not been particularly successful in reaching the ethnic minorities. While some authors have drawn attention to institutional factors, such as institutional racism in Britain which they believe reduces the chances of blacks and other ethnic minorities being offered psychotherapy (Littlewood & Lipsedge 1982), other possible explanations relating to the relevance and acceptability of the available forms of psychotherapy to diverse ethnic groups from vastly different cultural backgrounds have also been advanced, though this area has not yet been sufficiently explored.
The November 1988 issue of the Journal of Social Work Practice, which is devoted to inter-cultural social work and psychotherapy, is evidence of the developing interest and debate in this field. This review is confined to the papers on inter-cultural psychotherapy which were presented at four seminars on this subject jointly organised and attended by the staff of University College London, the Tavistock Clinic and Nafsiyat, the Inter-Cultural Therapy Centre.
Graham Ingham and Cheryl Fitzgerald, both of the Tavistock Clinic, provide a