The culturally informed functional assessment (CIFA) interview: A strategy for cross-cultural behavioral practice

How does a behavior therapist conduct a cognitive behavioral interview with a client from a culture or subculture different from his or her own? More specifically, how can a behavior therapist use functional assessment to formulate culturally sensitive hypotheses regarding a client's problem behaviors and controlling variables, and to select target behaviors and interventions that are culturally acceptable and likely to increase treatment effectiveness? We present a conceptual framework for culturally informed cognitive behavioral assessment and therapy, and offer practical guidelines for conducting functional assessment in a cross-cultural therapy situation. The proposed Culturally Informed Functional Assessment Interview (CIFA Interview) is then applied to the case of an intercultural marital couple with a presenting problem of communication difficulties.