Exploring Indian Indigenous Counselling Techniques: Evaluating their Effectiveness and Contribution to Counselling Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore whether Indian counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK practice in an indigenous way with their Indian clients. The aim was to find out more information about the different types of Indian indigenous interventions that may currently be used by these professionals. The study also bridges the gap in the literature about the lack of research on the practical uses and applications of Indian indigenous counselling skills in the UK.The study reports data from six face-to-face open-ended semi-structured interviews with Indian counsellors who have been trained in Western psychotherapeutic approaches and have knowledge of Indian psychotherapeutic approaches. The research was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Firstly, the analysis concluded the use of several Indian indigenous interventions used by the participants, such as Prekshadhyan which can be used for psychosomatic pain relief, Jain virtue of forgiveness which can be useful for working with sexual abuse, use of spirituality and cultural beliefs for bereavement, and so on. Secondly, the analysis identified some of the most common barriers to therapy (e.g. stigmas and taboos) experienced by Indian clients in the UK, and it provided suggestions on how to overcome these. Finally, the analysis suggested factors that therapists should pay attention to (e.g. client context and use of Indian languages) in order to maximise Indian clients’ engagement in therapy and to minimise their exclusion from it.