Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 1–7Cite as

Asian Americans in Couple and Family Therapy

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 244 Accesses

Introduction

The topic of working with Asian American families and couples in psychotherapy is quite complex, and it is difficult to summarize in a very brief article. However, it is possible to discuss a few principles that might serve as a guide to such work. First, it is important to keep in mind that the term “Asian American” is very broad and can include many different people from many different countries, such as China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India, etc. The rationale for such a term rests on the assumption that many of these nationalities share similar cultural patterns. This is true despite the diversity in language and other major differences, such as having different histories in the USA and living in different communities, for example. The general recommendation when working with any ethnic or cultural group is to “never assume” the client fits perfectly within expected norms or common cultural patterns or set of beliefs. The therapist should always carefully explore the...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Brenner, A. D., & Kim, S. Y. (2009). Experiences of discrimination among Chinese American adolescents and the consequences for socioemotional and academic development. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1682–1694.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, P. H. (2009). A counseling model for self-relation coordination for Chinese clients with interpersonal conflicts. Counseling Psychologist, 37, 987–1009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, S. W. H., & Davenport, D. S. (2005). Cognitive-behavioral therapy with Chinese American clients: Cautions and modifications. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 42, 101–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitano, H. H. L., & Maki, M. T. (1996). Continuity, change, and diversity: Counseling Asian Americans. In P. B. Pedersen, J. G. Dragun, W. J. Lonner, & J. E. Trimble (Eds.), Counseling across cultures (4th ed., pp. 124–145). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, O., Zane, N., & Cho, Y. I. (2011). Understanding the psychological processes of racial match effect in Asian Americans. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58, 335–345.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Noh, S., Beiser, M., Kaspar, B., Hou, F., & Rummens, J. (1999). Perceived racial discrimination, depression, and coping: A study of Southeast Asian refugees in Canada. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 40, 193–207.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Soo-Hoo, T. (1998). Applying frame of reference and reframing techniques to improve school consultation in multicultural settings. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 9(4), 325–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soo-Hoo, T. (1999). Brief strategic family therapy with Chinese Americans. American Journal of Family Therapy, 27, 163–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soo-Hoo, T. (2005a). Working within the cultural context of Chinese American families. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 16(4), 45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soo-Hoo, T. (2005b). Transforming power struggles through shifts in perception in marital therapy. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 15(3), 19–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sue, D. W., & Kirk, B. A. (1975). Asian American: Use of counseling and psychiatric services on a college campus. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22, 84–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the culturally different: Theory and practice (6th ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sue, D. W., Bucceri, J., Lin, A. I., Nadal, K. L., & Torino, G. C. (2009). Racial microaggressions and the Asian American experience. Asian American Journal of Psychology, S(1), 88–101. doi:10.1037/1948-1985.S.1.88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, S., & Kim, B. S. K. (2010). Therapist multicultural competence, Asian American participants’ cultural values, and counseling process. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57, 394–401.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. California State University East Bay, Hayward, CA, USA

    Terry Soo-Hoo

Authors
  1. Terry Soo-Hoo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Terry Soo-Hoo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. Employee Assistance Program, McLeod Health, Florence, SC, USA

    Farrah Hughes Ph.D., ABPP

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Soo-Hoo, T. (2016). Asian Americans in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_426-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_426-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation