Abstract
Japan has seen a rapid advancement of psychotherapy starting in the 1990s. Historically, Western psychotherapy was first introduced in Japan as early as in the late 1800s and, subsequently, in the post-World War II period during which Japan saw its first significant development of psychotherapy including the establishment of many psychologically related associations. However, because of a stigma attached to mental health disorders, it was generally uncommon for the Japanese public to seek psychotherapeutic assistance, and the insurance coverage of psychotherapy remains still quite limited, today. The treatment of mental disorders in Japan is still dominated by physicians through a pharmacology approach to treatment.
In recent years though, notably since the 1990s, with the prolonged recession and rapid social changes, the need for psychological services and therapists is growing quite rapidly in school and workplace settings. At the same time, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) introduced to Japan in the late 1980s has been attracting many clinical psychologists although training opportunities for CBT remains limited despite the clinical need.
This chapter describes the historical development of CBT in Japan as well as the present environment of CBT in its practice and research in Japan. The chapter also provides a summary of how CBT is applied to various populations and mental disorders. Additionally, the chapter covers the current regulatory situation, CBT training opportunities, and major psychology- and psychotherapy-related organizations in Japan.
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Takasugi, H. (2022). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Japan. In: Terjesen, M.D., Doyle, K.A. (eds) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a Global Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82555-3_21
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