The Challenges And Compromises Of Culture-Centered Therapy: Nigerian Evidence

Ideally therapeutic processes ought to be context-bound; therefore culture plays vital role in setting the status quo for the interaction between the therapist and the client. It is against this background that this paper examines the challenges and compromises of culture-centered therapy in Africa (Nigeria), particularly as the scheme of work and curriculum for teaching psychology (and all other related areas of study), seems to omit cultural orientation to some extent. Correspondingly, National Universities Commission (NUC) benchmark is used as unit of analysis to portray the seemingly lack of culture-centered therapy in higher education in Nigeria. Supportively, narratives from focus group discussion with students are presented to intensify the lack of inclusion of culture-centered curriculum. As a result, the paper advocates for methodological and clinical integration of cultural perspective (indigenous knowledge system) into higher education’s teaching of psychology otherwise the noble idea of culture-centered therapy would continue to be an illusion. Hence, the African therapist to say the least would be irrelevant in his/her cultural milieu and to the clients who may urgently need culture-bound therapy as means of maintaining mental health and sustainable development.