Words That Heal: How Therapists Use Language to Shape Cultural Meaning-Making In Nigeria and England

Barcelona, Spain · May 2026

Integrative Science Symposia (ISS) Flash Talks · Language, Culture, and Cognition

Adaku Olatise
Sheffield Hallam University
Penny Furness
Sheffield Hallam University
Elizabeth Freeman
Sheffield Hallam University
Lisa Staniforth
Sheffield Hallam University

Abstract

Therapists across Nigeria and England use language as a cognitive mechanism in multicultural integrative psychotherapy. Analysing interviews with 18 therapists, findings show that proverbs, metaphors, code-switching and cultural translation reshape clients' meaning-making and emotional regulation. Linguistic adaptation strengthens attunement and reveals differences between collectivist and individualist cognitive-linguistic worlds.

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Words That Heal: How Therapists Use Language to Shape Cultural Meaning-Making In Nigeria and England

Abstract

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