Cultural Competence of Western Psychotherapists in Helping Sex Trade Survivors: An Initial Exploration

Sex-trafficking survivors that come from the Developing world and who become free in the west, can receive help from western psychotherapists. A therapist who is able to provide help to a former sex-slave of this origin is answering to a need for culturally competent mental health professionals. To serve this goal, the author analyses the example of Nigerian women who become free in the west and provides information about their background that could be useful in session. Parallel to this discussion, the question of whether cross-cultural differences can be overcome in therapy in an ethical way arises.