Counselling in the Chinese context and lessons in indigenization -- Keynote address for the 2nd Asian Pacific Rim International Counselling Conference, 6-8 July 2011, Hong Kong

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) does not advocate a Cartesian division of mind, body and spirit. Hence, counselling for the mind is something relatively novel to the Chinese. Although Western psychology was introduced into China during the turn of the twentieth century, the shift from an equilibrium-oriented to a construct-oriented framework in Chinese psychology is far from being complete, and in truth, given the importance of indigenization, probably unnecessary. Research on indigenized approaches to counselling in China, although scarce, is nonetheless building up to a high point where concerted efforts are being made to incorporate traditional philosophies such as Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism into the practice of counselling. The cycle that started with ingesting without digesting Western approaches to counselling, progressing to experiencing signs of indigestion, to realizing the need for indigenization, and to eventually building culturally meaningful and effective models of counselling, provides ample food for contemplation.