The effects of cultural humility on therapeutic alliance and psychotherapy outcomes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Aim: The present review and meta‐analysis sought to synthesise previous findings of studies examining the correlation between therapist cultural humility, the quality of the therapeutic alliance and psychotherapy outcomes. Materials and Methods: Three databases were searched for relevant citations, yielding 548 records for review. After the systematic review of these articles, a final sample of 13 citations was submitted for coding and analysis. A random‐effects meta‐regression model was used to synthesise correlations collected from the final sample of studies. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q , I 2 and τ 2 . Publication bias was assessed using contour‐enhanced funnel plots and Egger's test for asymmetry. Results: There was a statistically significant, positive correlation between cultural humility and alliance quality ( r = .66, 95% CI = [0.64, 0.68]). Similarly, a smaller, yet still statistically significant and positive association between cultural humility and psychotherapy outcomes was also found ( r = .39, 95% CI = [0.36, 0.42]). Moderators related to client race, gender and lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) status were also examined though nonsignificant. Conclusion: Such results suggest that therapist cultural humility is an important part of a strong working relationship and eventual positive outcomes in psychotherapy regardless of race, gender or LGB status. Thus, efforts should be made to foster cultural humility among therapists.