Culturally responsive Special Interest Group

The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity defines culture as “the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs” (UNESCO, 2002).

Beatrice and Daniela are two ISST Advanced Accredited Asian clinicians who are passionate about culturally responsive practice. We use our lived experiences as Asian-identifying clinicians to explore our passion for schema therapy. We invite people from different cultural backgrounds to participate as we recognise that culture is more than race and ethnicity (see above for UNESCO definition).  

We hope to establish a group of schema therapists who are also interested in promoting culturally responsive practice within their clinical work and research. This may include ‘deviated’ interpretations of schemas, modifications of therapy techniques (whilst upholding the integrity of schema therapy practice), case conceptualisations, research methodologies and so much more. 

We invite and welcome everyone to join our dialogue and share with us your lived experience, your clinical experience, your academic/research experience so that we can discuss the cross-cultural applications of schema therapy. We hope to create a warm and safe space for diversity and cultural representation.

The Culturally Responsive SIG will be meeting quarterly. The inaugural meeting will be on Monday 26 February, 2024 at 9am GMT. Our second meeting is scheduled for Monday 6 May, 2024 at 8am GMT. 

Our meetings will be 90 minutes long and we will use Zoom teleconfernecing. You will be sent a link to log in to our meetings using your computer, iPads , smartphones, or a telephone line.

If you are interested in joining please contact Daniela Ho Tan, one of the SIG’s co-chairs 

Warm regards,

Daniela Ho Tan & Beatrice Ng-Kessler

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