Supervision of family therapy programming in a context of political conflict: A transformative dialogue of adapting western family therapy techniques

A phenomenological case study with a constructionist and decolonial lens following the culturally sensitive supervision of a mental health NGO in Gaza Strip. The project aims to co-create culturally and contextually appropriate family therapy services by opening a dialogue between western and non-western voices to discuss the adaptation of western family therapy models. The preliminary themes emerging from the supervision sessions following an exploratory data analysis are: challenging western techniques, and empowering the indigenous voice. Firstly, participating therapists are invited to question and reassess the western techniques they have been previously trained in, and whether it is appropriate to apply them to their client case. Secondly, the supervisors move to empower participants and promote self-trust and reliance on peers. Data collection utilizes ethnographic tools that include recording and transcribing monthly supervision sessions between 2 western supervisors specializing in Family Therapy and 2-7 employees of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program.