Attention to Culture and Diversity in Psychoanalytic Trainings

abstract

Ethnically and culturally diverse groups increasingly undertake psychotherapy, but insufficient attention is often paid to aspects of diversity. This article explores qualitative data from a mixed-method study, conducted at a UK psychoanalytic psychotherapy training institution, in which 24 participants from diverse backgrounds were interviewed individually about their experiences of clinical training. Participants were asked how their ethnicity had impacted on their training, and also how social class, sexual orientation, religion and gender might affect the training experience. The data were analysed thematically, and a principal theme that emerged was the way that psychoanalytical clinical trainings tend, for theoretical reasons, to explore ‘internal’ psychological issues at the expense of ‘external’ material issues such as ethnicity. Similar concerns arose in connection with social class, gender and sexual orientation, with a specific theme being that of trainees feeling silenced and finding it difficult to openly discuss various aspects of diversity.