Family Therapy in China
Cultural Competence Intervention Paper. (China and Family Therapy) I created a PowerPoint that can assist in ideas. This assignment builds on the work from the PowerPoint presentation assignment. After gaining a better and more in-depth understanding about cultural characteristics and the development of family therapy in your selected country, you are to develop a culturally congruent intervention tailored to that culture. You will write an 8-10 page paper (excluding title page and references) in APA style describing the intervention and how it is culturally relevant for your selected country. You may use any of the course materials for the assignment including other students’ PowerPoint presentations that are posted on Blackboard. A minimum of six references must be included – at least TWO must be outside sources from peer-reviewed journals that are not required for this class. Students will be given the opportunity to submit at least one draft and receive feedback from the instructor before submitting the final paper. The number of allowed revisions might be increased for students for whom English is not the first language. If you have questions about the appropriateness of the intervention, be sure to consult with the instructor. Consider the following questions/areas as you develop your clinical intervention and write your paper. How does this intervention fit with the culture you are working with? How would your approach be different if the family was from a Western context? Describe the culture you are focusing on for this intervention. What are the characteristics that you feel are relevant for this particular intervention or the situation that the intervention is meant to address (type of problem the intervention is designed for). What is the intended outcome of the intervention? (Its purpose?) How does this intervention fit with the therapy models you are learning about in the program? What is the history of the intervention and who is associated with it (if anyone)? How would you decide this was the right intervention for your client(s), culturally, clinically, contextually, individually (etc.)? (i.e., When it is indicated?) Are there any ethical issues relevant to this intervention? When would you NOT employ this intervention with a client? (i.e., When is it contraindicated?) What special cultural considerations would you need to contemplate before carrying out this intervention? How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? How would you measure this? Be specific. Describe your thoughts about the ethics of the international issues of counseling and therapy. How might your personal culture of origin influence your therapeutic work with clients from the culture you are focusing on for this intervention?
Therapy in China
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Structural Family Therapy and Divorce in China
1 Introduction
Family therapists opine that individuals are entities closely embedded in a relationship network, rather than existing as separate units (Stanton & Welsh, 2012). This perception acknowledges the mutual effects family members can have on others (Tse, Ng, Tonsing & Ran, 2012). In Chinese culture, each family member plays a unique role in the society. The elderly people are highly esteemed while the youth are the central focus of the family. Chinese societies are largely hierarchical and the males take up patriarchal roles. While males are breadwinners and heads of households, females become homemakers. With such a hierarchical structure in place, gender equality is highly repressed in Chinese culture. The One-Child policy has been blamed as a leading contributor to gender inequality that has resulted in male dominance in Chinese societies (Hesketh, Lu & Xing, 2005). In the workplace, a similar trend is reflected where women are paid less than their male counterparts. Such a climate has given way to an increase in a number of social problems such as divorce. Today, Chinese view marriage as a freedom of choice. Progressivism introduced stringent measures to protect the rights of divorced women. However, these laws have since then seemed to encourage divorce by supporting cultures such as flash marriages and flash divorce where marriages barely last 7 months (People's Daily Online, 2013). The divorced women undergo mental torture, in addition to a plethora of challenges they face during post-divorce period (Miller & Fang, 2012). This paper argues that in addition to progressivism laws, there is a need for the provision of a special form of psychotherapy, known as family therapy to families to prevent the rampant cases of divorce or support families following divorce. To achieve its objective, this paper explores the problem of divorce among the cultural societies in China and examines the effectiveness of family therapy as a form of psychotherapy aimed at resolving conflict and buttress communicant in families.
2 Family Therapy
In China, family therapy was introduced by visiting German therapists in early 1980s (Epstein, Young, Zheng & Kim, 2015). The German therapists conducted short-term training sessions on systemic model. Structural family therapy, was proposed by Salvador Minuchin and a team of other psychotherapists in 1960s (Vetere, 2001). It was not until 2000 that Minuchin, including other structural family therapists such as Pauline Sung and Joyce Ma conducted training on the same in the University of Hong Kong (Epstein, Young, Zheng & Kim, 2015). Since 2000, a number of models ranging from solution-focussed to cognitive behavioural models have been introduced. Some of the Western models of family therapy focus on interventions that are both appealing in the Chinese culture and encourage interconnections among family members. However, the issues of gender roles and hierarchical structures in Chinese culture are yet to be addressed while applying the Western models. There is a considerable growth in academic programs focusing on family therapy in China. One notable example is a family therapy program for graduate students taught by Professor Xiaoyi Fang at Beijing Normal University (BNU) (Epstein, Young, Zheng & Kim, 2015). While several other programs in family therapy are taught in institutions such as the East China University, they are yet to attain standards for national accreditation. In 2007, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security for the first time approved Marriage and Family Counsellor as a career. The year that followed saw the establishment of education and training standards for family therapy and in 2009, Beijing conducted the first examination for students taking the profession of Marriage and Family Counsellor. The BNU held conferences in 2012 and 2014 whose aim was to focus on devising approaches that were culturally sensitive to be applied among Chinese families (Epstein, Young, Zheng & Kim, 2015). Students and professional family therapists from across Chinese and American university attended.
3 Cultural and Ethical Issues in Applying Family Therapy in China
Family therapy fits with the Chinese cultural practices and beliefs. The intervention can thus be used to solve conflicts that often result in divorce. In order to deliver culturally competent psychotherapeutic care, practitioners need to have background information regarding the traditional belief systems and the ethical principles of the Chinese culture. One of the important cultural influences to applying family therapy is the role Confucianism play in Chines societies. Confucianism plays a critical role in moulding the behaviour and character of the Chinese families by encouraging unity, which is a significant social ingredient for families to prosper (Ann & Tom, n.d). Through Confucianism, each member of a family has distinctively defined roles and all work in an orchestrated manner towards a common goal. Family becomes the centre and is greater than an individual. The father is the family head and according to the “xiao†or filial piety, the eldest sons have the due to care and honour the parents (Heqin, 2008). Family therapy emphasizes on communication and interaction among family members to resolve conflicts. Loyalty to the family was so much upheld in pre-modern China that suicide for the case of it was not viewed as a deviant act. There are particular rules in Chinese culture known as “liâ€, which govern individuals to interact with others and identify their roles in the society (Heqin, 2008). It is also important to note that attributes such as emotion control and submission and conformation to the law are highly appraised in Chinese culture. Buddhism, which is one of the religions in China emphasize dignity. In this regard, the wrongdoings of a member of a family causes the family in subject to lose dignity. Another religion, Taoism emphasizes on emotional calming, cleanliness, conformity and selflessness towards each other.
4 Family Therapy in Resolving Divorce in China and Intended Outcome
A number of reasons explain why family therapy is an effective treatment model that can be applied to resolve conflicts that may lead to divorce. As earlier noted, the family becomes the most important unit before an individual in the Chinese culture. This perception provides the opportunity for the entire family to take part in resolving the disputes in dysfunctional families following divorce. The Western systems of family therapy can largely be applied to treat problems within the Chinese context (Miller & Fang, 2012). This intervention emphasizes on intergenerational and family connectedness which are the foundation of Chinese philosophy and culture. In Chinese culture, health and medicine are regarded to be more of spiritual and emotional than biological. This contrary to the Western cultures who understand medical and health problems from the biological perspective. Therefore, the family therapy, which relies on philosophical and cultural tenets will be more appropriate in resolving disputes in families (Miller & Fang, 2012). Historically, Chinese families have often embraced self-reliance in dispute resolution where an insider member intervenes and fixes the dysfunctional families. However, the changing dynamics have witnessed a new trend where an outsider can be requested to resolve conflict (Miller & Fang, 2012). This implies that the outcome of family therapy in addressing the problem of divorce would be a successful one.
5.0 How to determine/measure that the intervention in appropriate/effective to clients (clinically, individually, and contextually)
Clinically, if there is a member who is struggling with personal issues such...