Distinctive Aspects of CBT in Brazil: How Cultural Aspects Affect Training and Clinical Practice

In Brazil, a country with particular cultural characteristics, there is still a lack of studies on the cultural adaptation of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The current research aimed to initiate the identification of relevant aspects of Brazilian culture in the application of CBT. Two focus groups were conducted, one composed of seven professors—researchers from different locations in the country—and another composed of eight therapists. The results highlighted characteristics of the population that might impact the applicability of CBT: intense warmth, great empathy, lack of assertiveness, not being used to systematization, and plurality of subcultures in Brazil. In addition, therapists were of the opinion that the patient could not adapt to the structure and directivity. We consider that it is important to train multicultural skills in Brazilian therapists. A research agenda was proposed to develop culturally and scientifically grounded CBT protocols. Furthermore, the current work provides an illustration of a systematic attempt to adapt CBT to another country and culture, and the issues raised could have a broader applicability for the cultural adaptation of CBT.