Cognitive behavioral therapy in Peru

Ferrero N.; Paredes M.; Hage V.; Duhning C. · Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a Global Context (2022) · DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82555-3_25

Resumen

In Peru, a country with a population of over 32 million people and greatest diversity, there are indicators of significant poverty that affect the access to medical and health services. Recently, the government has increased the budget to improve mental health services and enacted the New Mental Health Law. These actions pretend to support individuals that need mental health assistance and, by default, mental health professionals as it will bring with it job and training opportunities. According to the characteristics of the national population, it is suggested that a basic behavioral intervention approach, a more concrete level of cognitive restructuring, and practical solutions could be better taken advantage of. The current chapter presents the origin and evolution of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in Peru since its beginning as behavioral therapy in 1918 until its current state of development. Specifically, the current regulations for practicing psychology and the limitations that are still present in our country to regulate psychotherapy practice are described. It also refers the main Peruvian characters and organizations that aim to disseminate CBT between professionals and build links internationally. As a result of this effort, nowadays, there are several institutes that provide CBT training programs. However, the current challenge is to offer this training program in different cities of the country which leads to the importance of adjusting the interventions according to context demands and cultural aspects. Finally, it is also described the current research of CBT in the country and the creation of societies, with mostly CBT trained psychologists, to meet the needs of special collectives. © The Author(s) 2022.