Assessing the psychological status of individuals who make up different ethnical and cultural groups can be a tedious and difficult task for therapists. Further research has to be conducted in order to assess these groups accurately. When evaluating members of ethnic minorities and cultural groups many conflicting issues submerge. These conflicting issues result from societies having different cultural practices. If a therapist has not been exposed to, and has not identified himself or herself to the patient's cultural background, then he or she cannot deter whether or not their behavior results from cultural practices or from a mental illness.
Some of the many aspects that differentiates cultural groups are: Ideal height and weight; type and meaning of fashion; religious practices; social status; and cultural interaction. Another issue that therapist face is cultural bias. Some therapists assess the status of individuals from different cultures using bias tests and procedures. Bias evaluations can hinder the chances for an accurate assessment. Studies have shown those therapists who share the same ethnical and cultural background as their clients evaluate those clients as being less disturbed than those clients who are from a different cultural background. These findings have shown that inaccurate judgments are made towards the character of clients who are of a different ethnical background.
Therapists have to overcome many obstacles when assessing the status of members of different cultural groups. The development of better competency skills can help the therapist take in consideration cultural-specific behaviors when conducting their evaluations. If the therapist understands the aspects and can overcome bias evaluation practices then he or she would be able to conveniently and adequately establish assessment strategies that would counter the problems that comes with evaluating members of different cultures.