Schiller, B., & Scheibelhofer, E. (2026). Psychotherapy in diverse migration societies: reflections from psychotherapy theory and sociological points of view.

Journal of Psychosocial Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/14786737Y2026D000000069

Abstract

This article focuses on migration-related diversity in contemporary European migration societies by applying an interdisciplinary lens that integrates psychotherapeutic and sociological perspectives. Drawing on the conceptual groundwork of an ongoing interdisciplinary research project analysing first therapeutic encounters in an institutional outpatient setting in Vienna, as well as on recent empirical research from Germany, the article examines persistent structural and relational barriers to psychotherapeutic care.

We argue that integrating sociological perspectives into psychotherapeutic theory provides both a robust foundation for further research and a more differentiated knowledge base for practitioners and other stakeholders seeking to identify and address structural barriers to psychotherapeutic care. Starting from a decolonial and intersectional approach, the article highlights how microaggressions and processes of othering shape everyday social realities and become embedded within psychotherapeutic institutions and therapeutic encounters. These dynamics are not external to psychotherapy but are mirrored within its social structures and clinical practices.

By foregrounding these interconnections, the article contributes to a clearer theoretical understanding of migration-related inequalities in psychotherapy and informs future directions in psychotherapeutic research, training and practice.

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