Cultural sensitivity, client therapist alliance and therapeutic outcome among qualified practicing mental health professionals in Uganda

Abstract

The study aimed at assessing the relationship between cultural sensitivity, client therapist alliance and therapeutic outcome where qualified practicing mental health professionals working in the Kampala District in Uganda were targeted. The study was a cross-sectional study design where quantitative methods of data collection were used where IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was used for analysis and interpretation of the collected data. The results of this study indicated that the majority of the respondents were married females (59.8%), they were between 31-40 years of age (54.3%), were mainly involved in NGO work (70.1) and the majority (65.4%) preferred using English as a mode of communication during their practice. The results also indicated that there was a positive statistically significant relationship between cultural sensitivity and therapeutic alliance since r = .57, p = .000, a negative statistically significant relationship between cultural sensitivity and therapeutic outcome since r = -.58, p = .000, and a negative statistically significant relationship between therapeutic alliance and therapeutic outcome since r = -.46, p = .000. In conclusion therefore, Cultural sensitivity is very vital towards creating a strong therapeutic alliance between the therapist and client a factor that helps to produce positive therapeutic outcomes. As a result, the study recommends increasing training in cultural sensitivity studies due to the diversity of cultures, an integration of evidence-based culturally responsive mechanisms and techniques by therapists and a need for a wider scope of this study.