Integrating cultural rituals into family therapy: A case study with a Bedouin-Arab patient in Israel

This paper describes the treatment of a Bedouin-Arab in an outpatient psychiatric clinic in the south of Israel by a Russian-Jewish psychiatrist and a Bedouin-Arab mental health practitioner. A comparison is made in the understanding of cultural terminology and strategies, and the appropriate integration of a cultural ritual with modern therapy. The clinical process required the practitioners to weigh the risks and benefits of, in particular, the Bisha ritual [ordeal by fire], and the incorporation of the gender-based familial power differential as a significant factor in such decision-making is outlined. The significance of familiarity with the patient's culture is also discussed and exemplified.