Psychotherapy in Europe: An emerging professional project

What is Europe and who are the Europeans? The concept of Europe is easy enough in one sense-we look at a map-but ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall there has been such a powerful shift in politics, culture and social process that the implications are still hardly realised. The issue of 'whose Europe' becomes very clear when we look at the changing populations of Europe. As well as the culture-shift between 'East and West' there is the fact that many European citizens come from non-European backgrounds, originally for work purposes, increasingly as refugees and asylum seekers. Often they have been subjected to extreme racism and have become disillusioned by the limited opportunities offered. Some have fled oppressive regimes, civil wars and dictatorship. Such rapid changes and often conflicting values and expectations have considerable implications for health and well-being, including and perhaps especially for emotional well-being. I find it hard to conceive of a 'European psychotherapy' that does not take into account these issues and address cultural diversity