Conducting psychotherapy around the globe: orientation and introduction

Psychology has become a worldwide science and profession. A number of international associations sponsor meetings and draw together psychologists from around the globe. Psychology and psychotherapy also vary considerably from country to country. Educational systems, licensing patterns, and practice parameters differ in different health service delivery systems depending on the history and policies of the particular country. This issue contains invited articles by psychologists, from a wide sample of countries, who describe the nature of psychotherapy practice in their respective countries and its application to the hypothetical case of Mrs. A. The authors place the case in the cultural context Mrs. A might encounter in their country.