Cultural Issues in Couple Therapy

Abstract

There is scant literature in couples and family therapy about the impact of culture in couple therapy. This paper reviews current literature in counseling, multicultural counseling, family therapy, and gender and cultural studies to provide an overview of the significant and pertinent issues related to culture and the couple therapy setting. The paper reviews several aspects of culture including race and ethnicity, gender, social class, and sexual orientation. While by no means a complete review of these issues as they relate to couple therapy, this paper attempts to provide an opening to future dialogue and discourse in this area of clinical interest.

Key Words:

• Couple therapy
• culture
• cross-cultural
• multicultural counseling