In this issue
Features
Therapy and the media聽in China (free article)
Hsuan-Ying Huang reveals聽this fascinating relationship.
An overview of therapy聽in China
Gareth Davey and Xiang聽Zhao report on developments聽in counselling.
Counselling in the fast聽lane
Alice Yu and Richard Gee聽describe how counselling聽helps Hong Kongers cope聽with the city鈥檚 pace.
Maple Women鈥檚 Hotline聽of China
A phone helpline has thrown聽a lifeline to thousands of聽Chinese women, says聽Xingjuan Wang.
Finding my way
Jianping Wang reflects on聽her professional path as聽a counselling psychologist.
Regulars
Your views
Naomi Taylor: Home is where I am living
Graham Allen: A trip to Beijing Union University
How I became a therapist
Stephen Edwards
Dilemmas
Managing boundaries in groupwork
From the chair
Andrew Reeves: 'What is the point of 香港六合彩精准资料 membership?' one member asks
Members and subscribers can download the pdf from the Therapy Today archive
Editorial: China, counselling and change
Much change has taken place in聽China in recent years. As Graham Allen聽discovered during his trip to Beijing聽Union University, however, Chinese聽people are beginning to ask questions聽about the impact of radical economic聽growth and increased consumerism聽on their culture and on their lives.
Therapy in China has not been聽exempt from the change going on聽around it. Although many people still聽lack an understanding of counselling,聽public awareness of and demand for it聽is rising; the main problem is the severe聽shortage of trained counsellors, writes聽Jianping Wang. Culture plays a part too.聽The Chinese population has grown up聽with Confucianism, which emphasises聽hierarchical relationships and obedience聽to authority. And, As Gareth Davey and聽Xian Zhao point out, China鈥檚 culture is聽collectivist, whereas counselling models聽in the UK generally emphasise autonomy,聽individualism and self-actualisation.聽As a result, Chinese people tend to聽view therapists as experts and authority聽figures, and expect them to be directive.
Several authors in this issue describe聽the huge cultural pressure put on young聽Chinese people from their families聽to achieve academically. The country聽has also identified internet addiction聽as a health threat to its young people.聽Watching the recent BBC 3 programme,聽Secrets of China 鈥� Fit in or Fail, I found聽it disturbing to hear one of the young聽Chinese men, at 鈥榖oot camp鈥� because聽of his online video game addiction,聽explaining how sometimes he would聽game for three days, eating nothing,聽just drinking water. He said that he聽gamed to relax because he felt he wasn鈥檛聽doing as well as his peers in his studies.聽
The articles in this issue reveal a聽huge variation in lifestyles, incomes and聽perspectives across China, particularly聽between rural and urban areas, now聽further distorted by the economic聽changes the country is going through.聽Therapy is still evolving in China and聽access to it is not equal for all. However,聽positive and inspiring therapeutic聽responses to need can be found, such聽as the Maple Women鈥檚 Hotline, a free聽counselling telephone helpline, staffed聽by volunteers, many of whom were聽former callers. Finally, chronicling聽the fascinating symbiotic relationship聽between therapy and the media in聽China, Hsuan-Ying Huang describes聽how therapy is particularly meeting聽a need among the country鈥檚 growing聽urban middle class, who have learned聽about it from watching the proliferation聽of televised therapy programmes over聽the last decade.
Jacqui Gray
International editor