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Discusses the meaning of counseling from nonwestern perspectives and suggests some considerations for counselors. Discusses cultural differences related to stress, myth and superstition, social change, and social attitudes related to physical and mental health in six cultures. (JAC)

This paper will first introduce the development of professional ethics of counseling and psychotherapy in mainland China. Ethical awareness is often limited due to variations in training experiences. Aligning with ethics codes can also bring challenges due to nuances within Chinese culture. Furthermore, the authors discuss the ethical challenges regarding the principles of multiple relationships, informed consent, and confidentiality in the context of Chinese culture. These ethical issues are often discussed within an individualistic cultural frame and presentation from a collectivist culture offers a unique perspective in the ethics literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is not surprising that many of the subjects of previous studies of help-seeking by Chinese parents and families have been women. After all, in almost all cultures women comprise the majority of those seeking help. Nonetheless a women's perspective on help-seeking is underrepresented in the literature. This paper, a follow-up to an earlier study, constitutes an analysis of two group interviews with 20 women living in a Hong Kong new town, all of whom had experienced a stressful life event either directly or vicariously through a family member in the previous twelve months. The study placed particular emphasis on how they viewed their problems and solutions, their help-seeking strategies and their views on such existing services as hotlines and centre-based family services. This study then forms the basis of a more wide-ranging discussion which, while it does not in all respects emerge from it, reflects possible extrapolations. The data, that is to say, are not analysed quantitatively, but rather as a consciousness-raising exercise which also serves as a possible basis for more substantial research in the future. It was found that subjects' approach to these matters was characterized by the tolerance of an unequal and overburdened gender role, self-blame over children's and marital problems and the lack of adequate support from within or outside the family. As a result these women were in double jeopardy in respect of family troubles: not only were their problem definitions closely connected with the real or imagined cultural stigma of inadequate womanhood or motherhood, but they also generally declined to seek help from either formal or informal sources. These findings support the thesis that Chinese women are socialized and subjugated into a gendered role. Their perception of available existing services offers valuable clues as to why they ceased or were discouraged from seeking help. The implications are discussed with reference to the need for gender-sensitive practices and the need to work on a deeper level of value issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 has had an impact on almost every aspect of life throughout the world. The quarantine, limited social life, and fear of contamination have triggered psychological symptoms in societies. The need for mental health services has increased, and online psychological counselling, which provides psychological help with no risk of infection, has become more popular. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 on psychological counselling services and compare the general situation of publications on online psychological counselling before and during the pandemic. For this purpose, 463 publications related to online psychological counselling in the Web of Science (WoS) database were examined. The results were discussed in the context of trends and differences before and during COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the profession of dance movement therapy (DMT) grows and develops, more DMT's are combining movement with counselling and psychology, making valuable contributions across the globe. The sudden threat of Covid-19 made the need for clarification and integration of cultural and professional boundaries clear. With a shrinking world and increasing threats of refugees, displacement, climate change, intergenerational trauma and pandemics, DMT's can join with other healing disciplines to bring creative healing options into communities and the world. How can it adapt to meet these new challenges while protecting professional standards and ethics? What might this integration look like? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The objective is to help Chinese Shidu parents who have lost their only child to relieve post-traumatic stress disorder. Methods. A qualitative phenomenology study using the hermeneutical phenomenological method was employed in a major metropolitan city in China. Participants were 46 parents who had lost their only child and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Three major themes are: (1) to conduct semistructured in-depth interviews with 46 Shidu parents; (2) to develop and implement a psychological intervention program combining with group intervention and individual counseling based on cognitive-behavioral therapy; (3) to assess the effect of psychological intervention through PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Results. Those Shidu parents who lost their only child got great relief from PTSD. The Shidu parents got great relief and changed a lot after the intervention. They became active to participate in group counseling and willing to help others because they experienced the value and fun in the process. They rebuilt their attachment and looked forward to their future life. Conclusion. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can alleviate and even cure post-traumatic stress disorder in Shidu parents who have lost their only child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more and more attention to problems in mental health in mainland China, the Chinese people are further along in accepting counseling services as part of their health care system. Thus, the need for high quality counseling services is skyrocketing. Given the great compatibility with Chinese culture and tradition, the Satir model has shown its tremendous vitality ever since it was introduced to China in 2003. The Satir model can provide tailor-made therapy solutions to people suffering from mental health problems associated with the more negative influences of Chinese culture and tradition. This paper aims to analyze these possible negative influences, such as invalidation of self, high expectations towards self, and incongruence in expressing feelings. Then, it will illustrate how the Satir model helps people to recover through transformation. Counseling experiences with 16 clients in Beijing, mainland China were used to illustrate the process. With its strength-orientation and change-directed therapy approach, the Satir model has shown its effectiveness in helping Chinese people transform into people with higher self-esteem, who take responsibility, who can make choices and behave congruently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the limitations of mainstream Western psychology, the necessity of indigenous psychology for the development of global community psychology is discussed in the context of multiculturalism. In addition to this general introduction, four articles underlying a common theme were designed to discuss (a) various types of value conflicts between Confucian cultural heritage and Western individualism in an age of globalization; (b) the psychometric approach for measuring collectivistic conflict; (c) a counseling model of situational self-relation coordination for Chinese clients to handle interpersonal conflicts; and (d) the psychotherapeutic implications of various self-cultivation practices originating from the cultural traditions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The articles in this special issue may contribute to the development of indigenous counseling practice in multicultural Chinese communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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