Are Barriers to Psychotherapy Treatment Seeking Indicators of Social Determinants of Health?: A Critical Review of the Literature

One of the most persistent and troubling health disparities is the underutilization of mental health services by individuals with marginalized aspects of their identity. We provide a critical review of the literature of barriers to psychotherapy initiation and the connection to social determinants of health. We propose a change from a deficit-based view of the problem to a strength-based view that include the following strategies: family therapy treatments designed to reduce barriers, telehealth as an option to address treatment barriers, changes to the recruitment of therapists-in-training, and person of the therapist development.