Yasuhiro Kotera – författare

Cultural Frameworks and Mental Health in Practice offers a new way to understand mental health by examining the cultural scripts that shape how people experience stress, shame, self-criticism, help-seeking, compassion, recovery and wellbeing. Practical, compassionate and accessible, it helps readers recognise hidden cultural pressures and use cultural understanding to support change.Grounded primarily in cross-cultural psychology and drawing on cultural psychiatry, compassion science and clinically relevant psychoeducation, the book shows why wellbeing cannot be understood through individual factors alone. It introduces the “Cultural Wind” metaphor to explain how values, norms, emotional expectations and systems shape people’s inner lives. Chapters explore cultural scripts, different definitions of a good life, toxic productivity, stigma, fear of burdening others, over-adaptation, self-criticism, help-seeking and recovery. The book also highlights cultural strengths, including community care, ritual, belonging, humility, meaning and culturally varied forms of compassion. With key points, reflection questions, worksheets and practice notes, it turns cultural understanding into practical tools for everyday life and professional practice.Written in an accessible style, this book is essential reading for clinicians, counsellors, coaches, educators, helping professionals and interested general readers. It is also suitable for courses in culture, mental health and wellbeing, global mental health, counselling, health psychology, public health and related fields.

Cultural Frameworks and Mental Health in Practice offers a new way to understand mental health by examining the cultural scripts that shape how people experience stress, shame, self-criticism, help-seeking, compassion, recovery and wellbeing. Practical, compassionate and accessible, it helps readers recognise hidden cultural pressures and use cultural understanding to support change.Grounded primarily in cross-cultural psychology and drawing on cultural psychiatry, compassion science and clinically relevant psychoeducation, the book shows why wellbeing cannot be understood through individual factors alone. It introduces the “Cultural Wind” metaphor to explain how values, norms, emotional expectations and systems shape people’s inner lives. Chapters explore cultural scripts, different definitions of a good life, toxic productivity, stigma, fear of burdening others, over-adaptation, self-criticism, help-seeking and recovery. The book also highlights cultural strengths, including community care, ritual, belonging, humility, meaning and culturally varied forms of compassion. With key points, reflection questions, worksheets and practice notes, it turns cultural understanding into practical tools for everyday life and professional practice.Written in an accessible style, this book is essential reading for clinicians, counsellors, coaches, educators, helping professionals and interested general readers. It is also suitable for courses in culture, mental health and wellbeing, global mental health, counselling, health psychology, public health and related fields.

This book aims to explore the application of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) within international contexts, acknowledging the nuances of mental health and well-being across different regions. By integrating principles of compassion with cultural sensitivity, it offers a comprehensive guide for mental health professionals to effectively address the needs of clients based in various regions of the world. Through case studies, research findings, and practical interventions, this book illuminates how CFT can be tailored and adapted to resonate with the values, beliefs, and norms of different cultures, ultimately promoting greater inclusivity and effectiveness in therapeutic practice.Applications of CFT are known to be numerous. Therapists using CFT may employ a range of therapeutic techniques, such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral experiments, and role-playing exercises, to help clients develop self-compassion and overcome diverse psychological difficulties. Educators also employ CFT-informed exercises to protect student wellbeing.CFT has been receiving increasing attention from researchers, practitioners and educators globally. However there has not been a textbook that introduces international perspectives to how CFT helps mental health. Considering the global interest of CFT, it is an unmet need of people who are interested in CFT. This textbook can meet this need.