Introducing the Cultural Ego for Counselling Immigrants and Local Students in Secondary and Adult Educational Settings

The concept of the ‘Cultural Ego’ was first put forth by Sow (1977) and further developed by Terranova-Cecchini (1991) based on clinical work done in Italy and non-Western countries . It has its foundation in anthropology, neuroscience, psychiatry and psychology (Devereux, 1956), (Linton, 1956), (Sow, 1977), (Berry, 1992), (Kandel, 2006), (Kaes, 2007). Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study is to show how the Cultural Ego can be adapted for use in secondary and adult education counselling situations. Sources of Evidence: The Cultural Ego as an instrument of transcultural psychiatric therapy that has been used for more than 30 years in Italy by Fondazione Cecchini Pace, Milan (www.fondazionececchinipace.it). Main Argument: The Cultural Ego (universal) is composed of three axes: family, community and ancestral. Cultural Ego therapy helps the patient reconstruct the axes (Terranova-Cecchini, 1991). Counsellors, international program directors, social workers will find a working knowledge of the Cultural Ego useful in assisting their target populations. Conclusion: Due its success in the transcultural therapy field, the authors have decided to share it with school counselling professionals. It is especially useful for youths who are torn between their family and school cultures. It may be useful in antibullying programs because often inner cultural conflicts create bullies. The concept of the Cultural Ego is applicable not just to immigrants but also members of the dominant culture.