Attitude Differences Of Seeking For Professional Psychological Help Between Chinese And American College Students Essay

The research problem I am interested in studying is mental health in Southeast Asian Community. Growing up, my mother suffered from major depression and younger brother with bipolar disorder. However, my parents would not acknowledge and does not believe that talking to medical professional with help them. My brother joined a gang and was getting involved in criminal activities in middle school. He went to juvenile hall to group homes, prison and then moved to Minnesota to live with his friends. Based off my personal experiences, I believe that Southeast Asian individuals need become aware of mental health rather than thinking it is only for crazy individuals. I’m interested in studying of the need and problem of mental health in the Southeast Asian community. I would conduct a qualitatively research. I would like to understand the reasons of why Southeast Asian individuals opinions of mental health issues. Since mental health illness is viewed as a weakness, I would like to find new techniques to help counsel the Southeast Asian Community.

Believe it or not, but American and Chinese culture do have something’s in common. They see eye-to-eye on some aspects. Like providing for their children “Parents work together for the well-being of their children” [Example from Article]. It is true that parents do the best they can to work towards a better financial life for their kids. That’s why many Chinese parents come over to the states, so that they can provide a better life, and a better education. They would also go to great lengths for their children no matter what the cause “Parents will risk their life for their children” [Example from Article]. Any parent would risk their life for their children no matter what ethnicity, or cultural aspect! There is no bond like a parent and their child.

There is no doubt that the counsellor needs to be aware of the complexity of culture (Pedersen & Ivey, 1993). Culture results from the interaction of a number of variables including ethnographic, demographic, socio-economic, and relational factors. Within a culture, people develop patterns of behaviours based on a number of assumptions they have learned either directly, observationally or vicariously (Mitchell & Krumboltz, 1996). People also develop a cultural identity by

The eastern world culture is often incompatible with that of the United States. Asian American values are family and group focused, unlike that of the individual-centered western value system. Loss of face is a key ethnic-cultural factor that describes the danger to, or loss of social standing, especially among the Asian American social group. Perceived loss of face can seriously impact the Asian American’s behavior within this group. Asian American children are reared to bring pride to their family through academic and financial efforts. A lack of ability to maintain such standards and the perception of failure can interfere with seeking professional mental help. Feelings of shame and fear of stigmatization inside their family and community often lead to depression, isolation, and other mental issues (Jacob, Gray, & Johnson, 2013). Customarily, the Asian principles hold self-control and adherence to the customs of the family and community in high regards. Mental illness in an individual is viewed as an expression of a failure to both the immediate and extended

“China has become the U.S.' most important trading partner (Ito, 2009). Additionally, China has surpassed India to become the top country sending students to study in the U.S.” (A Comparative Look at Chinese and American Stereotypes). Now in our modern day world, there have been many stereotypes built up around Chinese people or immigrants. Pre-existing views or perceptions about a certain ethnic group, culture or race will certainly affect and drive interactions with people of that certain culture. Since stereotypes are usually very broad and are long-lasting, many of these” expectations” are outdated/antiquated. My research proposal mainly focuses on the danger of seeing all Chinese immigrants in one way, mainly the idea that all Chinese are smart, nerdy and unathletic. This specific topic interested me as growing up as a Chinese person in Canada, I have seen and experienced the extent that preexisting perceptions can influence people's views and actions. I suspected that through my research I would find that not all Chinese people fit the stereotype and can “break the mould” given to them. For research and information, I went onto many articles and news sites. My research confirmed that the classic, traditional stereotypes for Chinese people definitely do not represent the entire population.

The Asian American population is a major facet of American life; beginning their lives as immigrants they have worked their way to become integral members of society. In 2010 there were 14.7 million Asian Americans living in the United States and in 2011 that number increased to 18.2 million.1 Culturally, Asian American people have traditions and beliefs that contradict those of the Western world.2 “Culture molds people’s values, attitudes, and beliefs; influences their perceptions of self and others; and determines the way they experience their environment.”10 As a result there are certain barriers that exist when communicating with Asian Americans due to their cultural background. Additionally, Asians living in America suffer from the Model Minority Myth, which typecasts these people as being financially and educationally well off in comparison to other ethnic groups.2 Due to this Asian Americans aren’t considered more at risk for many health risks compared to other ethnicities; cultural and physical barriers act as a hindrance to Asian Americans receiving healthcare services, primarily mental health related services.

Counseling individuals from different cultures can be challenging, however with the counselor’s proper sense of awareness, knowledge, and skills they are able to become culturally competent. Cultural competency is a fundamental part of counseling and should be demonstrated by all counselors. It is essential to become aware of cultural differences between individuals and find ways to maximize the effectiveness of counseling. In order to discover cultural difference I selected an individual named Jia and found several cultural differences between her and I. Through our different cultures and lifestyles I was able to understand how counseling would exist differently.

The term ‘depression’ didn’t even exist in China in the 20th century and there was no vocabulary for it. The children were thought to be anti-social. If the children were depressed they were thought to be impure and they were sent to a labor camp. But now they have more knowledge about mental health. They have even set up crisis hot lines, and China is taking steps to take the pressure off young children.

War is hard on anyone involved; however, it is especially hard on the children who are forced to live with it or in close proximity to it. Children typically lack the worldview to process the level of violence that occurs during war. The Nigerian children who were rescued from the refugee camp lived in extremely poor conditions and before arriving there were subjected to serious events that may change them forever. They are likely suffering from some severe psychological effects of war-time violence that need to be addressed in order to break the cycle of violence they may be in, but also to ensure their mental health both now and in the future. There are several aspects of psychological recovery that need to be

Students need to feel like they have something they can gain from seeking counseling. If they don’t feel like they will get that with the selection of counselors on their campus, they would rather hold their problems in. “The idea that client preferences regarding the particular characteristics of counselors may critically influence such factors as whether the client seeks help, the duration of counseling, subsequent client evaluation of counseling, and certain aspects of the counseling interaction has long held currency in counseling theory and research (Strohmer, 2003).” Strohmer stated that half of the minority clientele dropout of counseling after the initial meeting in comparison to a third of the White clients. According to the Office of Minority Health more than half of the African American population have

The Chinese have a wonderful culture filled with beauty, strength, skill, and putting their family and society over their own wants. Sometimes it may be hard to understand why this culture or any other ethnic group pick choices that are different from ours but as future health care workers, an understanding of cultural beliefs does improve the relationship between worker and patient. For example, the concept of respect for authority or those older than you is one that all follow even if they are only American-born Chinese. When treating a sick Chinese elder, health care workers need to consider the possibility of a patient not informing the family of personal illness or an objection to put their elders in long-term cares. Healthcare workers may have to at times converse with only the males in the family because traditionally, the decision makers in a Chinese family are usually the males and the woman must go to them before choosing any type of medical treatment. Lastly, a Chinese patient may usually nod their head in agreement and, to a healthcare professional in the U.S, this means that they are receiving the information we are communicating to them. But what the patient is really doing is being polite and agreeing to what you are saying yet not retaining the information at all. Thus a doctor may need to address this issue a few days after the visit in order to not scare the patient away but instead encourage questions and make sure the information about their health

The purpose of this study is to evaluate which method of therapy and counseling will be the most effective

All cultures have differnet beliefs about mental health and how they precieve what causes the disorders, how it can be cured or treated, and who should be involved in the process. Western coutries such as the United States, which see mental disorders as a result of natural scientific phenomena, advocate medical treatments that combat neurological imbalance and/or the use technology to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. Other countries believe that mental illness is the result of supernatural phenomena and promote prayer or other spiritual interventions that counter the presumed disfavor of powerful forces. Some cultures might ignore seeking professional medical help because they believe

Culture has a great effect on attitudes toward therapy. According to the National Institution of Mental Health each individual or groups of people bring a variation of beliefs to the therapeutic setting such as communicating what issues to report, types of coping styles, social support, and cultural stigma towards mental health. More often it is culture that bears on whether or not an individual will seek help. For example there is a widespread tendency to stigmatize mental illness in Asian countries. People with mental illness are considered dangerous and create social distance and

school work and learning students either go to private tutors, after school study groups or further learning groups for hours at a time. With Chinese children only focusing on school it gives them no time to do what they would like. Students don’t have time to relax or creatively express themselves because all of their time is filled with rigid study patterns and tests. This can stunt students, making them confused on who they are as a person and what they actually like to do. The lack of free time to find oneself and stress of school can lead to a bevy of mental illnesses, “about a third of primary and middle school students in China are believed to suffer from various forms of mental disorders, while up to a quarter of college students in the country are showing signs of mental illnesses” (CITE). Depression in China is the leading form of mental illness that the country suffers from and can be brought on by a slew of things but the most popular for Chinese students is academic stress.