National Survey of Client's Perceptions of Chinese Psychotherapist Practices

Abstract

The present study is a cross-sectional survey that investigates ethical practices among Chinese psychotherapists from the perspective of a large representative sample of Chinese clients (N = 1,100). In reports from clients, we found that psychotherapists did poorly in providing informed consent and had other ethical difficulties in the therapeutic setting and with dual relationships. We conclude that Chinese culture, especially Confucianism, had significant impact on the attitudes toward the psychotherapists' ethical practices, which complicated ethical dilemmas. It is important for cross-cultural psychotherapists to become sensitive to the influences of traditional Chinese culture when counseling Chinese clients.

Keywords:

• ethics
• national survey
• clients
• psychotherapy in China

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Corrigendum

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by National Social Science Foundation Grant 07CZX021 awarded to Jing-Bo Zhao. Heartfelt thanks are given to all the men and women who participated in the study, whose enthusiasm continues to inspire us. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Notes

¹“Face” is used in Chinese society metaphorically to refer to reputation or standing in society, and is spoken of as a resource which can be won or lost.

²Social relationships ( guanxi), which involve trust, favors, dependence, and adaptation, are of utmost importance in Chinese society. A guanxi network may represent efficient means to get resources or do work (Chan, Cheng, & Szeto, 2002).